All These Maybes
by MellieMay
Summary: *AU OLICITY* After graduating MIT, Felicity Smoak takes a job at Queen Consolidated and moves to Starling City to be closer to her friends, Nyssa and Sara. Once there she meets Oliver Queen who leaves quite the impression. Oliver is smitten but Felicity is wary. Can he change her mind before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**AN- Hello! This is the first chapter of a mutli-chapter fic. There will be 10 total and they're currently all written and edited so I just have to post them which I'll be doing once a week, probably after Arrow on Wednesdays. This is an AU fic kind of in the vein of a rom com because I love those things I've tweaked back stories and the only canon death is Robert Queen. Characters may be OOC but things changed with their back stories. Either way, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it it was a true labor of love and I can't wait for you to read it! Please review or comment, let me know how you feel about it, I'll be waiting anxiously. Enjoy!**

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Chapter One

Felicity sipped on her bright drink, watching her friends move around the club socializing as she did her best to tune out the drunken former frat boy (most likely) as he regaled her with tales of his awesomeness. Her eyes met Sara's over the crowd and she silently begged her to save her. Sara, who had no qualms telling her that she needed to date more, gave her an encouraging smile that Felicity did not appreciate. She widened her eyes more, trying to get her point across, to which Sara simply shrugged as her girlfriend, Nyssa, dragged her onto the dance floor. Felicity glared at the both of them as she took a bigger gulp of her drink. The guy beside her was going on about some drunken adventure he'd had with his frat brothers, confirming Felicity's earlier assumption. She sighed loudly and turned to him. "Look, trust me when I say that I'm not your type and you're wasting your time. Go find some drunken blonde bimbo to hit on, I'm sure she'll be more receptive to...this." Her hand that wasn't holding her drink, waved around wildly, gesturing to him.

He stared at her with a confused expression, his thick eyebrows furrowing as he tried to absorb her words. She could tell the moment he did by the irritation that clouded his face. "I thought I already found a bimbo," he snapped.

She raised an eyebrow, mostly unfazed by his words, but as soon as he opened his mouth to say something else, she didn't give him a chance to offend her anymore, choosing simply to throw the remainder of her drink on him. He sputtered angrily but she took the opportunity to disappear into the crowd, heading to the bar to refill her drink.

In no time at all, she'd found another quiet corner to have her drink in peace. Maybe Sara was right, not about dating more, but about her needing to socialize more. She'd been in Starling City for a week and while that wasn't exactly that long, she'd hadn't really made friends when she as at MIT either, and she knew how hard it was to break habits. Fortunately for her, she'd moved to Starling with a built in friend group courtesy of Sara. She'd known Nyssa for the last four years, ever since they'd roomed together their freshman year at MIT, and she'd known Sara for the last three, ever since she'd starting dating Nyssa. She'd met Sara's sister Laurel and her boyfriend, Tommy, three years ago when they came to visit Sara. Tonight was supposed to double as Sara's welcome home party and a way for Felicity and Nyssa to meet everyone. Felicity had been here for all of ten minutes before she'd drifted away from the group, something that had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that she'd just chased away the third obnoxious drunk, she was starting to reconsider. She glanced at her phone, seeing that she still had twenty minutes to go until the hour she promised Sara she would stay was up. Maybe she could sneak out early without her noticing but she knew how unlikely that was, the only thing that would happen is that Sara would use this to rope her into another, possibly worse, social engagement.

"I've been trying to figure it out and I can't come up with a reason why a girl as gorgeous as you would be standing in a corner all by yourself." A deep voice she didn't recognize said from behind her.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, I just got a new drink and I don't want to waste it tossing it on another slime ball." He chuckled and she turned to face her, taken aback when her eyes trailed up his body, his dark blue button-up shirt hugging his chiseled muscles, her heart skipping when she met his intense blue eyes. "Though, you are hotter than the last three." She cringed hard, heat creeping into her cheeks. "Oh god, I said that out loud, didn't I? I didn't mean it like that, not that I'm saying you're not attractive because you are but I'm sure you know that. I'm going to go now." She started to walk away when his hand wrapped around her wrist. He promptly let her go when she leveled him with a death glare, but it was more from the spark that ran through her body at his touch than it was from irritation.

"Okay so maybe that wasn't the best line."

She couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her lips. "I've heard worse."

"And I'm sure you've heard better." He smiled, shuffling his feet as he shoved his hands in his black pants. "I'm Oliver, by the way."

"Felicity."

Understanding dawned on his face. "Felicity as in Sara and Nyssa's roommate?"

She nodded, realizing who this was. "And you're Oliver Queen, Tommy's best friend, billionaire playboy extraordinaire." She groaned inwardly, did she really have to add that part?

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I don't know about that but I am Tommy's best friend."

"Between the stories I've heard and that god awful pick-up line you tried to use on me, I think billionaire playboy is a perfect description."

He stepped closer to her, invading her personal space and making her heart speed up. "Do you always make assumptions about people off of second-hand stories?"

She stared up at him, having to crane her neck even in her three inch heels. "Well, that pick-up line wasn't second-hand, or at least I hope it wasn't. God, please don't tell me that actually works on some girls."

He smirked. "Normally, I don't need any lines."

Felicity shook her head, laughing softly. "Of course you don't. You just flash them that pretty boy smile, hit them with those killer blue eyes and flash your billionaire's club card and they fall over themselves trying to be with you."

He leaned in closer to her, under the pretense of being heard over the loud music, whispering in her ear, "What I got from all of that is that you like my eyes and my quote-unquote pretty boy smile." He pulled back, his body still uncomfortably close but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to move away from him.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not a slave to my hormones like some people." _Liar_, her mind whispered but she pointedly ignored it.

He shook his head, looking annoyed for the first time. "You have me at a disadvantage here. You _think_ that you know everything about me and I _know _that I don't know anything about you. I'd like to change that but in order to do so, you're going to have to get rid of these preconceived notions of who I am."

She pretended to seriously consider what he was saying, tapping her index finger against her bottom lip. "I could maybe do that, if only because I know you must have been waiting for an opportunity to use words that big in a conversation, especially when you consider the average IQ level of your normal conquests."

He let out an exasperated huff of laughter. "Are you always this judgmental?"

She frowned, realizing how she'd been acting, an immediate wave of guilt washing over her. Oliver was Tommy's best friend and Tommy was in a serious relationship with Laurel who was her best friend's sister. If she wanted to live in Starling City and make friends, she was going to have to start being more open to people she didn't know. "No, I'm not, not usually, I promise. I'm sorry, I'm a little off of my game tonight, not that I have much game to start with, but I'm normally much nicer." She was going to keep rambling but he silenced her by placing a hand lightly on her shoulder, sending a tingle down her spine.

"I was teasing you," he told her softly before he took his hand off of her and put it back in his pocket, his brow creasing in thought, smoothing out as quickly as it happened. "I'm well aware of my reputation and I won't argue it, it's completely justified. What I will say is that I'm not that guy anymore."

She took a drink of her forgotten margarita. "Why don't you tell me about this new and improved Oliver Queen then? Knock those preconceived notions out of my head." She shook her head, her long, blonde waves brushing against her shoulders that were left exposed by her strapless navy dress. "Not literally, of course. Obviously, you knew that," she muttered under her breath. Sometimes she wished her mouth would cooperate with her brain, or at least confer with it before it let things escape.

"Well, this Oliver Queen is a serious grown-up, no more late nights at clubs," he paused and looked around the room. "With a few exceptions, of course," he added with a smile. "But I'm doing my best to take my responsibilities seriously now, I've been working hard to learn as much about Queen Consolidated as I can and I'm heading up some new projects that I'm really excited about."

Felicity grinned, maybe she had misjudged him after all. "Look at you, you slipped right into business mode like a pro. I have to admit that I might have been wrong, it looks like there are some layers under that pretty boy exterior." He beamed (beamed!) at her and she tried to ignore the heart palpitations his smiles seemed to cause.

"I'd be happy to help you peel back some more." As soon as the words left his mouth, he winced, rubbing his forehead. "I didn't mean for that to sound so disturbing."

She giggled. "It's actually kind of nice to be on the other side of this, I'm usually the one saying things that come out wrong."

"What I was trying to say was that I'd like for you to know more about me and I'd like to know more about you." He stumbled around the words, shaking his head, his cheeks turning the slightest bit red. "I'm usually a lot smoother than this."

"I don't know, so far there hasn't been any evidence to support that theory," she teased.

"What I'm getting at is that I would like the opportunity to get to know you, if that's something you would be interested in." He watched her with hopeful eyes and she had to admit that she wanted to say yes, intrigued by the man in front of her. Unfortunately, the moment she opened her mouth to answer was the exact moment a tall, leggy brunette inserted herself between them. It was fairly obvious she was drunk and if the way she was hanging off of Oliver was any indication, they knew each other...well. Felicity took a step back giving them some room as the girl whined at Oliver.

"Ollliivveerrr, there was huge line for the bathroom and then I couldn't find you, I thought maybe you left without me." The girl pouted at him and Oliver sighed, meeting Felicity's eyes, giving her an apologetic look. The girl followed his gaze, landing on Felicity with a confused expression. "Who's she?"

Felicity held her hands up. "I'm a friend of a friend, who is leaving." She started to walk away but didn't make it more than two feet before she stopped, turning back around to face him. "It's funny," she said to Oliver. "Normally, I enjoy being proven right."

His jaw clenched, a muscle on the left side twitching, but he didn't say anything, letting her walk away. She maneuvered through the crowd, struggling to understand why she felt upset as she made her way over to where Sara and Nyssa were dancing. She had one conversation with him and all he'd done was prove that her first impression of him was right, so why did she feel so disappointed? She tapped Sara on the shoulder, her dancing pausing only briefly as she turned to see who was behind her. "I'm going to head home, I just wanted to let you know."

Sara frowned, her dancing finally coming to an end. "But it's still early, Felicity, you can't leave."

"I promised you one hour and I gave you more than that. I want to get up early so I can start the nightmare that they call unpacking so no guilt trips," she warned her with a pointed finger.

Sara sighed, a pout forming on her lips. "Fine, I won't give you a guilt trip if you tell me what you and Ollie were talking about over there." Nyssa sidled up to Sara, wrapping one arm around her waist as she waited expectantly for Felicity to divulge.

"We were just introducing ourselves, seeing as he's friends with all of my friends, but his date's back and I'm tired, so I'm going home now." She left no room for argument with her tone, her encounter with Oliver leaving her feeling off-kilter.

Sara looked like she was ready to say more but Nyssa cut her off. "How about the three of us grab lunch tomorrow? We've barely had time to talk the last two weeks and you're going to need a break from all of that unpacking you have planned." She was right, the two of them had moved to Starling a couple of weeks before Felicity did and she could use a lunch date with her two best friends.

She nodded enthusiastically, "Okay, call me before noon, if you girls don't drink too much tonight."

Nyssa glanced down at Sara, smiling sweetly as she answered Felicity. "I won't." A pang of jealousy rippled through her at the sight of them, at the loving way Nyssa watched Sara, something Felicity had been jealous of since the first time Sara and Nyssa had met at the bar where Sara was working. It had been down the street from the off-campus apartment Nyssa's father paid for their sophomore year at MIT and they'd wandered down there two nights before classes started, immediately hitting it off with Sara.

"We all know I wasn't talking about you, Nyssa."

"Hey!" Sara exclaimed in mock offense. "I promise we'll call before noon and I won't be too hungover." Felicity smiled and gave both women a quick peck on the cheek before making her way out of the club, unaware that Oliver's eyes hadn't left her since she'd walked away from him.

* * *

Oliver stared hard at the amber liquid, swirling it around in the glass tumbler before draining the glass, and setting it back on the bar a little harder than he needed to.

"Uh oh, you're in the classic Oliver Queen brooding position," Tommy remarked as he approached Oliver, sliding onto the bar stool next to him. "Which can only mean that you're having girl problems. Wanna talk to your only friend in a stable romantic relationship?"

"I do but I'm guessing Diggle's sleeping," he answered as he leaned over the bar, grabbing another tumbler and the bottle of whiskey, pouring another drink for him and one for Tommy.

"Hey, give me some credit. Laurel and I have been together for three years now, we live together, I have a ring -"

"Wait, you're going to propose to Laurel?" It wasn't particularly shocking, it had become a question of when, not if, when it came to the two of them getting married. It just served as another reminder of how lucky all of his friends were, how farther along in their lives they were compared to him.

"Tomorrow night, during dinner." He pulled a red ring box out of his pocket, opening it, and setting it on the bar.

Oliver picked the box up, examining the simple ring that was a platinum band with one large and clear cushion cut diamond. "She'll love it," he told him. Laurel would be happy with anything that Tommy gave her and Oliver told him so.

"I hope so," Tommy mumbled under his breath as he took the ring back and slid it into his pocket. "Now that we've talked about what's new with me, do you want to talk about why you were staring at that glass like it was going to give you the answers to the universe?"

Oliver shrugged, raising the glass to his lips and tipping his head back, allowing the liquid to run down his throat, leaving a pleasant burn in it's wake. "I don't know. I don't even know if it's a girl problem." He'd felt funny from the moment Felicity had turned around and he'd seen her for the first time. It was unsettling.

"Is it about that girl I saw you with earlier? That tall brunette?"

"Hannah?" He waved a hand dismissively. "She's just a friend I see from time to time."

"A late night kind of friend?"

"A casual kind of friend."

"If she's only a casual friend, how did you end up bringing her with you tonight?"

"I didn't think it would be a big deal." He hadn't thought anything of it. He'd gotten caught up in things the last time they were together, Tommy having mentioned the party to him earlier that day, and Oliver didn't want to attend it by himself.

"Then why was it a big deal? Did she want you to talk about your feelings?" He glanced around the club, empty except for the two of them since it was an hour past close. "Is that why she's gone and you're here moping alone?"

"This isn't about Hannah. She left with some friends."

"Then what is this about?"

Oliver finished his drink, rubbing his jaw. "I met a girl."

"When? Where? Who is she? Oliver, you have to tell me these things. I have to live the single life vicariously through you and I can't do that if you don't keep me up to date."

"I am keeping you up to date. I met her tonight, here."

Tommy fell quiet next to him, wheels turning in his mind, until his eyes widened. "Are you talking about Felicity? I saw you guys talking for a minute, is that who you're talking about?"

Oliver nodded. "I only talked to her for a few minutes but she left an impression, that's for sure."

"So what happened?"

Oliver's lips tilted up in a small smile. "I hit on her with some cheesy line, I didn't even know who she was before I did it, but she rightfully called me out." And it was a breath of fresh air, someone who didn't care one bit who he was, who wasn't interested in him only because of his last name and bank account. "But I think she was starting to come around to me."

"Was?"

"I might have forgotten that I was here with Hannah while I was talking to Felicity." Oliver cringed, remembering the look that had passed over Felicity's face when Hannah had appeared, though he didn't quite understand why it had such an affect on him. He didn't even know her, it wasn't like him to become so caught up in someone so quick, and it sure as hell wasn't like him to find himself so nervous around a woman. But that's what she'd done to him, she'd made him feel like a sixteen year old boy trying to get his first date while he was talking to her, stumbling around his words like that, complete with sweaty palms and a rapid heartbeat. At least, he was assuming that was what it felt like to be nervous around a girl since he'd never had the pleasure of the experience, not even when he was a teenager.

Tommy let out a short, booming laugh that echoed off the walls of the converted steel factory that contained Verdant. "Forgot? How do you forget that you're here with someone?"

"I don't know, I got caught up talking to Felicity, forgot that Hannah was here," he said, feebly trying to defend himself.

"So you're saying that you got so distracted talking to Felicity, that you forgot all about your booty call posing as a date?"

"Yes," he admitted, mentally kicking himself for his stupidity. "I asked Felicity if she'd be interested in getting to know each other and I know she was going to say yes, I could see it on her face."

"Let me guess, that was when Hannah found you again, jogging your memory?"

"You would be correct."

Tommy laughed quietly, shaking his head, as he poured them another drink. "Only you, Ollie, only you."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure that I screwed up any chance I had with Felicity," he said mournfully as he took another drink.

"I don't think you had much of one to begin with," Tommy said, patting Oliver on the back.

Oliver gave him a disbelieving look. "I thought you were supposed to be my friend?"

"And I'm doing the friend thing by being honest with you." He turned in his chair to face Oliver, expression turning serious. "Look, I've known Felicity for awhile now and I will tell you that she is way out of your league. Not only is she drop dead gorgeous but she has a genius level IQ, she's independent with a good head on her shoulders and a kind heart. You're just going to have to face the facts that she's much too good for you."

He found himself in a peculiar situation, feeling jealous of Tommy, of his knowledge of Felicity. All he knew was that she had a sweet smile that he wanted to see over and over again, long beautiful hair that he wanted to run his fingers through, soft cushion lips that he wanted to kiss, to learn what her body felt like against his, learn what her mouth tasted like, what other places -

"Oh, you've got it bad, don't you?" Tommy's voice jolted Oliver out of his inappropriate thoughts. Instead of denying it, he changed the subject.

"How did you meet her anyways?"

Tommy wasn't an idiot but he decided to let it go this time. "We met a couple of years ago when Laurel and I went to visit Sara."

"I remember that actually," Oliver said as he recalled how overjoyed Laurel had been when they'd gotten back to Starling City. She credited Nyssa and Felicity for helping Sara turn her life around, no small feat, and he vaguely remembered Laurel giving him a stern warning that Felicity was like family to her. He'd tuned her out, unconcerned because Felicity had been an abstract thing but now that he'd met her, he wished he would have listened to the stories that had been told over the years. He also wished he'd stopped by the Lance's last Christmas when Sara had come home for a visit.

"If you want to know about her, you're going to have to ask her. Maybe when you're not in a club with a different girl."

"I thought you said I didn't have a chance with her."

Tommy shrugged. "You don't but you've got this starstruck look in her eyes and I don't have the heart to tell you not to bother. What I won't do is let you drill me for information."

"I don't know how to get in touch with her, I didn't exactly get a chance to ask for her number."

"Well, it should be easy for you to find considering she moved here because she got a job at Queen Consolidated but I don't think she starts until next week, so that option's out."

"You don't know it?"

Tommy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I might have it but I don't want to face the wrath of Nyssa if I give it to you."

"Why would Nyssa be mad about you giving me Felicity's number?"

"Nyssa and Felicity have been roommates since their freshman year at MIT, they're like sisters to each other which means they're protective of each other, especially Nyssa. If she found out that I gave Felicity's number to someone, and not just anyone but Oliver Queen, who's reputation Nyssa is extremely aware of, she would kill me. Or do something worse." Tommy shivered, eyes glazing over as he imagined the horrible things Nyssa would do to him. "That woman terrifies me."

"Okay, fine, you can't give me the number, what other options are there?"

Tommy considered it for a minute before snapping his fingers together, an idea hitting him. "Sara. Sara's been pushing Felicity pretty hard on getting out into the dating world since her last relationship ended bad and if there was anyone that would give you her number, it would be her. Plus, Nyssa won't get mad at her or me. It's a win/win for everyone. Though, I'd wait to ask until the sun's up." Tommy finished his drink, jumping off of the bar stool. "Speaking of which, I'd like to get home before that happens."

Oliver stood up, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Yeah, I should get home, too. Thanks for the talk." He dialed the number for the cab company, holding the phone up to his ear as it started to ring.

"Anytime, Ollie. Good luck with Felicity, you're going to need as much as you can get."

He rattled the address off over the phone before shoving it back in his pocket. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," he called out as he left the club. All he could think about while he waited for the cab and during the drive home, all the way until he collapsed into bed, was that sweet smile. Tommy was right. He had it _bad._


	2. Chapter 2

**AN- I'm bored out of my skull at work so here's another chapter! Thanks to everyone who has faved, followed, and reviewed in the last day. You guys are awesome and I can't get enough of them. I'll post the next one Wednesday night and then the next a week after that. Unless of course I get bored and impatient then who knows what I'll do. Enjoy!**

Chapter Two

Felicity strode into Big Belly Burger, scoping the diner for Sara, finding her in a back corner booth, blonde hair thrown up in a messy bun and sunglasses shielding her eyes even though she was inside. Felicity walked over to her, smacking the table loudly with her hand as she slid into the booth. Sara groaned at the noise and let her head fall onto her arms that were crossed on the table. "Good morning to you, too," Sara grumbled at her.

"I seem to recall you saying last night that you wouldn't be too hungover today to have lunch and with Nyssa getting called in to work, you have to be able to carry this conversation without throwing up," she said as she slipped off her red jacket, pushing it and her purse over into the far corner of her seat.

Sara sat up long enough to throw a crumpled napkin at Felicity. "If you don't want me to do it, don't say the words."

Felicity laughed, her retort interrupted when the waitress stopped by their table to take their orders. "Can we get two deluxe Big Belly burgers and fries with one coffee and a water, lots of water." She looked across the table at a green looking Sara. "Maybe you should just bring a pitcher." The waitress nodded, smiling before she walked away.

Felicity dug through her purse, pulling out a small bottle of ibuprofen and depositing two pills in front of Sara. She'd spent enough time with a hungover Sara to know that ibuprofen, water, and a big, fat greasy burger were just what she needed to feel like a normal human being.

"Thanks," Sara muttered as she took the pills, using the water the waitress had just brought to their table to wash them down. She pushed the sunglasses up into her hair, rubbing her temples. "To be fair, I really didn't drink that much last night."

"Maybe you're just getting old," she teased.

Sara stuck her tongue out at her. "I'm only two years older than you."

"Yet somehow I'm wiser than you."

"Well one of us has to be the fun one and I don't think Nyssa going to be taking up that mantle anytime soon."

Felicity scoffed. "Am I the only one who remembers spring break last year?"

Sara's eyes widened as she remembered just how much fun Nyssa had been then, solemnly nodding. "No, I remember just how much fun that girl can have. I have the pictures to prove it."

"It was certainly memorable."

Sara nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence for a minute, Felicity staring out into the sunny day, watching people go about their daily lives. "So tell me about last night, you seemed to be in an awful hurry when you were leaving."

Felicity did her best to appear nonchalant, pretending that she wasn't still feeling affected by her encounter with Oliver last night. "It was nothing."

"Since when do you not tell me every detail of your life?" Sara pouted.

"I don't tell you everything."

There was no need for Sara to respond, she could convey exactly what she thought of that sentence with one look.

Felicity's shoulders slumped and she placed her arms on the table, leaning forward, and tucking a piece of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. "Okay, so maybe I do tell you everything but trust me when I say this was nothing."

"Then why are you trying so hard to avoid talking about it?"

Felicity narrowed her eyes. "Damn you and your observational skills."

"That's what happens when you're best friends with a cop's daughter," she responded proudly. "Now talk, Smoak, before I get really persistent."

Felicity looked towards the kitchen, hoping their food would have impeccable timing and appear right when she needed it to. That way she could shove her face full of food and avoid talking about Oliver Queen but it didn't seem like she was going to get that lucky. "Fine but prepare yourself for disappointment."

Sara rolled her eyes and gestured for her to continue. "I get it, it was nothing, now stop stalling, and tell me exactly what nothing means."

She folded her hands in front of her, straightening her spine, her face serious as Sara waited intently. "I met Oliver, we talked and then his date showed up."

Sara huffed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. "Do you really think that's going to cut it? Do you even know me?"

Reluctantly, Felicity finally gave in, relating their conversation to Sara in full. She finished just in time for the waitress to place their food in front of her which Felicity dug into immediately. She moaned out loud as she chewed it slowly, her taste buds savoring it. She looked up as she swallowed, finding Sara staring at her, mouth curled down in a frown and her food untouched. "What?" Felicity asked around a mouthful of food.

"Are you sure it was Ollie? That doesn't sound like him."

Felicity raised an eyebrow as she set her burger down. "The part about him hitting on me when he was at the club with another girl? Or the part about him asking me to hang out while he was at the club with another girl?"

Sara rolled her eyes. "No, all those parts sound like the Oliver I know. I'm talking about him stumbling around asking you out."

"He wasn't asking me out per say, he was just saying that he wanted us to get to know each other better." She knew how lame that sounded but she also knew that if she tried to fix it, she would only make it worse. Her solution, of course, was to take another large bite of her burger, choosing to occupy her mouth so it didn't get away from her again. Oh god, that sounded wrong,

"You can get as technical as you want about it but that's happened. Oliver was trying to ask you out, Felicity."

Felicity shook her head, using her napkin to wipe away an errant glob of ketchup from her mouth. "All he said was that he wanted to get to know me which makes sense because his best friend is dating my best friend's sister so we're going to be seeing each other around but he wasn't trying to ask me out on a date. I mean, come on, he's Oliver Queen and I'm me, average old me. If he's the slightest bit interested in me, it's because I'm new and I didn't fall all over myself when he gave me the smallest bit of attention. Guys like him are in it for the chase, that's it. Once he got what he wanted, he'd be out of there faster than the road runner."

"He'd be lucky to have you, Felicity, and you know it. If you don't, you're not as smart as you think you are," she told her matter of factly as she dug into her own food.

"Why are you pushing this so hard?" She wasn't talking directly about Oliver but Sara's constant interference in her love life. It was beginning to drive her up the wall. Ever since her and Cooper had broken up a year ago, Sara was either trying to set her up with someone or encouraging her to go out and find someone new.

"Because you're my best friend, Felicity, and I want you to be happy. I want you to find someone who makes you happy."

"As happy as Nyssa makes you?"

Sara grinned, showing off her deep dimples. "Exactly."

Felicity reached across the table, squeezing her hand. "I appreciate the sentiment but you can't make it happen with sheer force of will. I'll find that person someday, you just need to be patient."

"What if you already found that person?"

"I hate to break it to you but I can guarantee that Oliver Queen is not that person."

"Why not? Other than that girl being there, what was so bad about Ollie?"

Felicity shrugged. "Nothing. He was charming and adorably awkward and it doesn't hurt that he's gorgeous with a body that looks like it was carved out of stone..." Felicity trailed off, realizing that she might have gotten carried away. She ignored the heat that was rising into her cheeks and continued on, "He's out of my league, Sara, now can we drop this and enjoy our lunch?"

It was obvious Sara wanted to say more but she didn't, holding her hands up in surrender. "I'll drop it for now but we will be talking about this again."

"Of that, I have no doubt."

They spent the rest of lunch making idle chat, talking about how it felt for Sara to be back in Starling City, how Nyssa was adapting to working at KORD enterprises, how excited Felicity was to start work at Queen Consolidated on Monday. It was nice to spend some quality time with just Sara, having missed out on this the last couple of weeks, it was too bad that Nyssa couldn't come, something that Sara wasn't too happy about.

"She's been working there for two weeks and this is the second Saturday she's gotten called in. If this is a sign of how things are going to be, I don't know if I'm going to like this new job."

Felicity nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure it'll get better once you start working, then you won't have so much alone time. Do you have an idea of what you want to do?"

"I talked to Tommy about bartending at Verdant, he said I could start next week."

"Is that what you want?"

Sara shrugged. "I don't know, it works for now."

Felicity smiled softly. "That's what you always say." Sara had bailed out on college after her sophomore year, spending two years moving from place to place working odd jobs, trying to figure out her place in the world. The moving stopped once she met Nyssa but she'd never gotten serious about her career, content to bartend or waitress or do whatever was available. It was something Felicity had never seen the appeal of, having been career focused as long as she could remember.

"You're starting to sound like my dad," she grumbled.

Felicity laughed, taking it as a compliment, something she would never tell Sara. She'd met Mr. Lance a few times over the years and she'd gotten to know him well enough to know how very lucky the Lance sisters were to grow up with a father like him. She was about to give Sara some more grief when her phone started to ring from inside her purse. She dug through it quickly, finding the phone before it stopped ringing. The caller ID said it was Tommy but she had no idea why he would be calling her. "Hello?"

"Felicity, it's Tommy, are you busy?" He sounded panicked and she straightened in her seat, giving him her full attention.

"No, I'm just finishing lunch with Sara, what's up?"

"The club's server crashed which means our tills won't work and it's Saturday and I have a date with Laurel tonight, an important date that I can't make if we can't use our registers and my normal computer guy is out of town for the weekend and Nyssa isn't answering her phone," he paused, running out of breath and she cut him off before he could start up again.

"Breathe, Tommy, it's going to be okay. I'm right next door at Big Belly Burger, I'll be there in five minutes and we'll have you up and running in no time, okay?"

He sighed loudly in relief over the phone. "Thank you, Felicity, you're a life saver. I will buy you whatever bottle of wine you want, I promise."

"You sure know the way to a girl's heart, Merlyn. Laurel is one lucky girl."

He mumbled something over the phone that she couldn't hear but he didn't give her a chance to ask, thanking her profusely before disconnecting the call. Felicity put her phone back in her purse and looked back over at Sara, who was staring at her with a giant grin on her face.

"Tommy's having some computer issues so I'm going to take off, head over to Verdant and help him out." Sara didn't say anything, nodding her head with that goofy grin still on her face. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just a little text I got while you were on the phone."

Felicity laughed, getting to her feet and shrugging her jacket on. "I don't want to hear about you and Nyssa sexting."

"It wasn't one of those texts," she responded as she joined Felicity. "It was Ollie asking for your number."

Felicity gave her an unamused look as she paid for their food. "You don't have to lie, I just meant I didn't want details."

"And I wasn't lying," she said as she shoved her phone in Felicity's face. Sure enough, there was a message from Oliver asking for her number.

She was so focused on that, trying to absorb that Oliver wanted her number, that she ran into a chair, knocking it over. She flushed as she scrambled to right it, Sara watching her with a knowing look.

"So do you want me to give it to him?" Sara asked as they stepped out into the warm afternoon sun.

Felicity snorted. "If that's how I act when he asks for my number, can you imagine what I would be like on an actual date? I'd probably set the restaurant on fire. Not that I'm saying he's going to ask me on a date or that I would even go on one with him if he asked, I'm just saying if we did, it would go bad."

"Well you won't know until you do," Sara said as she typed out a text message.

Felicity narrowed her eyes. "You gave it to him, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. Now go help Tommy before his head explodes, I'm sure he's stressing out enough about proposing to Laurel tonight."

"He's proposing?"

"Yep. He asked for Dad's permission and everything, that's how I found out."

"Brave man," Felicity remarked as she walked Sara to her car.

"That's what Dad said."

Felicity gave her a quick hug. "Tell Nyssa next time we make lunch plans that she can't go into work. I'm starting to forget what she looks."

"I'll try but you know how she is, all work and no play," Sara said as she climbed into her car.

"I think you pick up her slack in the play area. I'll call you tomorrow." Felicity watched her drive away before she made her way into Verdant, finding Tommy seated at the bar, his head in his hands.

He jumped off of the bar stool once he heard the sound of her heels clicking against the floor. "Thank god you're here."

"I should be thanking you. All I had to look forward to was an exciting day of unpacking so I'm more than happy to fix some computers." At this point, she was going to have to accept that she wasn't going to get unpacked before she started work on Monday.

Tommy led her into a back room that held the servers for his system. She pulled her tablet out, thankful it was always with her, and connected it to his system. It only took a minute to search around and find his problem, knowing immediately how to fix it. She explained it step by step to him until she noticed that his eyes were glazing over. "I'll have you up and running in no time, you'll be off to propose to Laurel before you know it."

Tommy finally stopped staring at the computer in confusion, turning to give her a surprised look. "You know I'm proposing?"

Felicity nodded as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "Sara just told me."

"Sara knows?" He was starting to sound panicky again.

"Her dad told her. Don't worry, Laurel doesn't know." She didn't actually know that but she was betting that even if Laurel knew, it wouldn't change her answer. Telling Tommy that she didn't know would only serve to calm his jittery nerves. "How nervous are you?"

"Not that nervous," he answered before he started to pace the room, running a hand through his dark hair. "Okay, I'm terrified and the closer it gets, the worse it gets."

"Laurel loves you and you obviously love her, I don't think you have anything to be worried about."

Suddenly, he was next to her again, making her flinch. "Do you really think so?" He asked.

"Yes," she assured him. "Has Laurel given you any reason to think that she would say no?"

His forehead creased in thought and he slowly shook his head. "No. She's been hinting about it for the last six months."

"Well there you go. You're going to be just fine." She finished up what she was doing before disconnecting her tablet and placing it back in her purse. "I'm all done, you're good to go."

"Are you serious? Last time this happened, it took my guy hours to fix it."

"Maybe you should get a new guy."

Tommy chuckled and rubbed his jaw. "Are you volunteering for the job?"

"As long as you reward me with wine every time."

"Let me know what kind you want and I'll get it to you as soon as I can."

She waved him off. "It's no big deal, I was happy to help. I better get going, good luck tonight, not that you need it." She started to walk away and she got halfway to the door before he called after her.

"I said I wasn't going to say anything but I talked to Oliver last night after everybody left."

She stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around to face Tommy. "And?"

"He asked me for your number. I didn't give it to him because I didn't want Nyssa to kill me in my sleep but I thought if I asked you first, she wouldn't hold it against me."

"You're in the clear, he already asked Sara for it and she happily gave it away."

His face turned serious. "The number doesn't mean anything if you're not interested."

Felicity smiled, crossing her arms. "Is that your way of asking if I'm interested in your friend?"

"I know that he doesn't have the best reputation and that he didn't make a great first impression last night but I think you should give him a chance."

"Look, Tommy, I'm sure Oliver's a good guy but I'm not really the type of girl who dates billionaire playboys."

"Then don't think of him like that. Think of it like you're being set up with a friend of a friend."

"Even if I looked at it like that, it doesn't change the fact that he might as well be my boss come Monday."

"Technically, Oliver doesn't manage the IT department and Walter's CEO, for at least another six months, so technically he isn't your boss yet."

"Okay, maybe technically he isn't but he's close enough. Besides, he was in here with a different girl last night, if he wants a date that bad he can ask her."

"He doesn't want a date with her, he wants one with you."

"Like I told Sara, he just thinks he wants a date with me because I didn't throw myself at him. It's all about the chase."

Tommy nodded. "I'd agree with you if we were talking about Oliver from a few years ago but that's not who he is anymore. I've never seen him like this."

That piqued her curiosity. "Like what?"

"Smitten," Tommy said, grinning. "Especially after just meeting a girl."

"Right," she said slowly. "Oliver Queen's smitten with me, he couldn't resist my feminine wiles. Never mind the fact that's he's way out of my league, I'm sure you're right and I left that big of an impression on him after one conversation that he just couldn't get me out of his mind." She rolled her eyes to drive home how ridiculous that sounded to her.

"Make fun of it all you want but it's true, except for the part where he's out of your league. You got that part turned around."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Now I know you're getting carried away."

"Believe me or don't but I guarantee you go on one date with him and you'll see how right I am," he challenged.

She smiled, shaking her head. "Alright, you've made your case. If you don't stop now, I'm going to rat you out to Nyssa."

He held his hands up in mock surrender, eyes wide with fear. "We don't want that."

She waved goodbye as she headed back outside. She pulled her phone out of her bag, telling herself that she was just checking to see if Sara or Nyssa had called, but she couldn't lie to herself once she felt that twinge of disappointment at seeing her phone screen black. She was too concerned with her phone to watch where she was walking which was the reason she walked straight into someone.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as she backed up from whoever it was but all of her apologies flew out of her mind once she looked up and saw who exactly she'd run into. "Oliver! What are you doing here?"

He smiled down at her, still holding onto her arm. "I came to get my bike," he said, pointing to a expensive looking black motorcycle parked on the curb. "I had a couple drinks with Tommy after close last night and I took a taxi home. Alone." He frowned. "I don't know why I added that."

She bit her lip to try to stop the smile from forming on her face but that was an impossible task when she was near him. "Verdant's computers crashed and I was having lunch with Sara next door so I came over to help Tommy out." His eyes widened slightly at the mention of both Sara and Tommy's name but he quickly schooled his face.

"I'm happy I ran into you actually. I wanted to apologize for last night-"

"You don't have to do that," she cut him off. "That's your business."

He blew out a puff of air, averting his gaze. "I'm apologizing because I want to see if you would have dinner with me and I think that you'll be more likely to agree if you're not holding last night against me."

For all her talk earlier, the second the question was poised to her, she was at a loss. She desperately wanted to say yes and suddenly all her reasons for saying no didn't matter. It didn't matter if he was at the club with last night but they just met. And yeah, he might have hit on her while he was there with someone else but he was apologizing for it. And yeah, he was COO of Queen Consolidated but she wasn't going to start there until Monday. It was just a date, if things didn't work out, they didn't work out.

"If you don't say something soon, I might start panicking."

She didn't realize how long she'd been quiet. "Sorry." Would it really be so bad if she said yes to a date with him? She wasn't going to sleep with him so what would be the big deal in going on one little date?

"Sorry you don't want to get dinner with me?"

She grinned, knowing that she would probably come to regret this and nodded. "I'd love to have dinner with you."

It took a minute for her words to sink in but she saw the moment they did, the look on his face enough to convince her that she made the right decision, regardless of the outcome. "Really?" The excitement was clear in his voice. "What about tonight? I know it's soon but Tommy mentioned that you start at QC on Monday."

"Tonight sounds good." The longer the day went on, the less time she had for unpacking, maybe that was a sign that she shouldn't do it today. It had nothing to do with the fact that she hated anything to do with packing, nothing at all.

"Should I pick you up around eight?"

She looked around him to the bike and looked back at him. "I think it would be better if we meet there."

He smirked, looking very much like the playboy that could charm the pants off of any girl he met. "You don't want to go for a ride on the bike?"

"As I much as I would like to climb on that and go for a ride with you, I think it's better for a first date if we just meet there." Oh dear god, someone please make her stop.

He laughed loudly, a glorious sound that made her want to say whatever embarrassing and inappropriate thing came to her mind just to hear it again, a dangerous thought. "You're just making sure you have a getaway vehicle in case this goes horribly wrong."

"I also don't want you to know where I live in case you turn out to be a serial killer."

"I think those are understandable reasons."

They shared another smile.

She pointed towards her car. "I better get going but I'll see you tonight at 8?"

He nodded and she reluctantly walked away from him. "Where should we eat?" he called after her.

She shrugged. "Surprise me. Text me the address and we'll meet there since I know Sara gave my number to you." It was the last thing she said before she climbed in her red mini-cooper, watching him in the rear-view mirror as she drove away, her pulse racing until long after he'd fallen out of sight.

* * *

When she got home, she found that she had an exorbitant amount energy, managing to completely unpack the kitchen, leaving just her bedroom and the living room left. She'd finish it up tomorrow and she would officially be all set. So far, she was happy that she'd chosen Starling City over Gotham but she'd only actually been here for four days. Once she started work, she'd get a real idea of what her life would be like here, but if the past twenty-four hours were any indication, it would exciting to say the least. She'd been in town a week and she'd managed to get a date with the most eligible bachelor in the city.

In the weeks before graduating from MIT, a couple of her professors had recommended her for jobs with both Queen Consolidated and Wayne Enterprises, and while Wayne Enterprises had definitely been persistent in their attempts to get her in for an interview, QC had been an easy choice. Nyssa had gotten a job at KORD Enterprises because she wanted Sara to move back home to continue to repair her relationships with her family. Since the only actual family that Felicity had was her mom who lived in Vegas and their relationship wasn't what you would call close, she'd come to think of Nyssa and Sara as her family. She'd grown close to Laurel and Tommy during their visits to Sara over the years and she'd spent last Christmas with the Lances. She may not celebrate Christmas but she'd loved feeling like part of a family, making the decision to take the job with QC the best one for her. She'd never had a built-in network of people like she did here. Hell, she had more friends in Starling City before she lived her than she'd had her entire life growing up in Vegas.

She took her time getting ready for her date, mostly using it as a way to distract from the nerves that were bubbling in her stomach, growing more intense the closer it got to eight o'clock. She'd chosen a black dress that hugged her curves, the lace trim hem adding a feminine flair to it, and she'd left her hair down in loose curls. She'd ended up being ready far too early and all her anxious energy had left her feeling restless while she waited for eight o'clock to roll around. Oliver had texted her a couple of hours ago to give her the address of an expensive Italian restaurant that wasn't actually that far from her place and she decided to walk there, the summer air was warm and it was a good way to calm her down before she got there.

She couldn't believe she was going on a date with Oliver Queen. Though, she wasn't sure what was more surprising; that he'd actually asked her out or that she'd said yes. It had been a long time since she'd been on a date, the last one having been a nightmare blind date and before that, it was with her boyfriend of two years. She'd never been much of the dating type and the mere idea of it made her want to have a socially awkward spazz attack, mostly because she knew the odds of her having an embarrassing case of word vomit were significantly high.

Even with her nerves, she was excited. Oliver intrigued her and he had an ability to make her smile like nobody else she'd ever met, something she'd learned from their brief conversations. She was happy she ran into him outside Verdant because if he'd called her to ask her out, she wasn't sure she would have said yes. When she wasn't with him, she could think clearly and logically, remembering her internal list of pros and cons of going on a date with him, but when she was near him, all of that changed. She got a head rush when she was standing near him, staring into his perfect eyes, and it made it hard to think straight. This was dangerous territory she was finding herself in, this level of attraction or chemistry or whatever you wanted to call it could consume her if she let it, she could feel that in her bones.

She was serious about her career, she'd worked hard her entire life to get to where she was now, and she wasn't going to let anything derail her plan or distract her. Not even Oliver Queen.

He'd screwed up. Plain and simple. He'd blown it.

That's all he could think while he was standing in front of an angry looking Felicity outside of the very nice Italian restaurant where they'd had reservations...an hour ago.

"I'm sorry, there was an emergency board meeting that took forever and I left my phone in the car I rode in to QC and it's the only place I have your number. I'm really sorry, Felicity." He'd been looking forward to this all day and he couldn't believe that he was an hour late. He kept screwing things up as far as she was concerned and unlike with every other girl in his life, it wasn't because he didn't care enough to give a real effort, it was the opposite of that so what was wrong with him?

"I get it, you're the COO of a Fortune 500 company, things come up." He hated hearing the disappointment that laced her voice and he wanted to fix this.

"I'm sure I can get us another table if you still want to have dinner." At this point, he would do just about anything to spend one uninterrupted hour with this woman.

She thought for a moment before answering. "Yes to the dinner, no to the restaurant."

"You don't like the restaurant?"

"The restaurant was great, it was the sitting by myself for an hour that makes me not want to go back in there."

"We could go in there and publicly shame me for being so late, if that would make you feel better," he offered, finally earning a smile.

"As much fun as that sounds, I think I'll let you off the hook this time."

"Where do you want go then? I think there's a place down the block, it's quiet with good food."

She nodded her agreement and he held his arm out for her to take, which she did, her small hand curling up in the crook of his elbow. They walked for a moment in silence and Oliver had a fleeting thought that he could get used to this. "So how are you liking Starling City so far?"

"It's good, not that I've done much. I've spent most of my time settling into my place, I'm trying to get unpacked before I start work on Monday."

His phone ringing from his pocket cut him off from responding and he pulled it out of his pocket, seeing that it was friend John Diggle and that he'd already managed to miss two other phone calls from him. He gave Felicity an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I have to take this. It'll only take a minute."

She nodded, pulling her hand away from him and stepping back, giving him some privacy. He answered the phone, unable to quash the feeling that he'd just put another nail in his coffin with Felicity. "I'm kind of busy, Dig," he said in lieu of a greeting.

"I'm sorry, Oliver, I know you have that date with Felicity and I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important." There was an underlying current of fear to John's voice that put Oliver on edge.

"What's going on?"

"Lyla went into labor, the baby will be here in the next hour or two."

"But she's not due for another month."

"Five weeks early. We weren't even home when it happened so I didn't have a chance to grab any of our stuff. It's all packed in our bedroom closet, do you think you could grab it before you come here?"

Oliver looked over towards where Felicity was standing and he knew they weren't going on this date tonight. "Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can." He disconnected the call, shoving the phone back in his pocket before turning his attention back to Felicity. "I'm sorry but —"

"You have to go," she finished for him.

"That was my friend John, his wife's in labor with my goddaughter and she's five weeks early."

Her face softened and she stepped forward, lightly touching his arm. "It's fine, I understand."

"You've had to say that a lot today."

She shrugged. "Emergency board meetings, god-children being born, it's a little hard to argue with those excuses."

"I'll make it up to you, I swear. What about next weekend?"

She moved away from him, uncertainty on her face. "I don't know, Oliver. I'm starting work, for the company you own by the way. Maybe all this trouble is a sign that we shouldn't do this."

He quickly wiped any sign of disappointment off of his face. "Give me one more chance and I promise you won't regret it."

She bit her lip, hands in the pockets of her jacket, illuminated by the streetlight she was standing underneath. Between being late and everything else, he hadn't had a chance to take a second to appreciate how beautiful she looked tonight. Her long blonde hair was cascading in soft waves over her shoulder and she was wearing a black dress that hugged her curves, or at least what he could see through her unbuttoned cream jacket. He wished they could have really had this date tonight.

"I don't know, Oliver," she finally answered.

"All I'm asking is for one more chance. If I screw this one up, I won't ask again."

"Fine, one more chance." She held her index finger up to emphasize but it was well worth the trouble to be rewarded with that sweet smile. He was struck an urge to take her into his arms but he shoved it down before he did something stupid.

"Next Friday?"

"Sounds good, now get out of here and go meet your goddaughter."

Impulsively, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Until next time, Felicity."

Next time, he wouldn't screw it up. Next time, he'd bring his A game and remove any and all of her doubts about him. Next time, he'd get it right.

Hopefully.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Oliver was having the strangest dream where he kept trying to make it to his date with Felicity but he'd end up at the wrong restaurant or he'd lose time or his car would be stolen. When he woke up in the hospital waiting room with a stiff neck from sleeping in the small chair, he was feeling more than frustrated by his dream. John plopped down wearily in the chair next to him after handing him a cup of coffee. "How are they?" Oliver asked.

"Lyla's sleeping now. Doctor's say Claire is a little underweight but it's nothing to be concerned about. They said the biggest problem with babies coming this early is their lungs may or may not be developed fully but we lucked out and she's got a healthy set of screamers."

"That's great."

"You know you could have left, right?" John said after neither of them had spoken for a minute. "You didn't have to stay after dropping that stuff off."

Oliver scoffed. "We've been friends for how many years, Dig? Do you really think I would have left?" Lyla's delivery had been difficult and John had been worried out of his mind, looking more and more frazzled every time he'd come out to the waiting room to update Oliver. In the end, the baby and Lyla were fine but Oliver was still glad that he was here for his friend.

"Well, I'm still sorry about your date but to be honest, there was nobody else I wanted here."

Oliver understood why. The first big thing that brought them together as friends started in a situation eerily similar to this. He'd been there for Diggle then and he'd been here tonight because that's what family is for. "It's fine, Felicity understood. Besides, I'd already screwed it up before you called."

"Uh oh, what did you do?"

"They called an emergency board meeting last night. The press caught wind of one of the member's extra-curricular activities, something about furries, I don't know, but they wanted to take care of it before the news went public this morning. I was an hour late and I left my phone in the car so I couldn't even call her until I was already late. I barely convinced her to give me another chance."

"But she did?"

Oliver grinned. "Yeah, next Friday."

John raised an eyebrow as he took a drink of his coffee with a knowing smirk on his face.

"What?"

"You've got this look in your eyes, man."

"What look?"

"It's a look I've never seen in your eyes. It's this weird dazed and happy look. You really like this girl, don't you?"

He considered the question for a second but there was really only one answer. "Yeah, I think I do. Is that crazy? I've had a total of three conversations with her, I barely know her, but I want to know more. I feel out of my depth here."

John smiled, reaching over to squeeze Oliver's shoulder. "You feel what you feel, simple as that."

Oliver chuckled. "That's your advice?"

"That's the best I got after the night I had. Come back in eighteen years after I've gotten some sleep."

He didn't point out that it would probably be longer than eighteen years before he got some decent sleep. Oliver grew up with Thea, he knew how evil teenage girls could be and the constant worry didn't end after age eighteen. He was happy for John and Lyla, that their family was growing and they were in a good place, they deserved it more than anyone else he knew. He just hoped he was lucky enough to find that kind of love. "Speaking of the reason I've been here all night, am I going to get to meet that baby anytime soon?"

John's face lit up and he jumped out of his chair. "Yes, I haven't seen her face in five minutes and I think I'm having withdrawals."

Oliver joined his friend and they made their way to the nursery. After, he met the baby, he had a couple of phone calls to make before he went home to crash. It had been a crazy day and he needed some sleep that wasn't in a hospital waiting room but first he had to make sure Felicity knew how grateful he was for her giving him a second chance. Now he just had to make sure he didn't screw up this time.

* * *

Felicity shuffled to the door, growing irritated by the persistent and loud knocking. She yanked the door open and scowled at the person on the other side, except she couldn't see them on account of the large bouquet of flowers they were holding in their hands. "Good morning!" Sara greeted her cheerily from behind the bright pink flowers.

"What are you doing here so early? And what's with the flowers?" she asked as she moved out of the way, letting Sara and Nyssa come inside.

"It's ten in the morning and it's not that early, considering Laurel woke us up at six with a phone call to share the good news," Sara told her as she made her way into the kitchen, setting the flowers down on the counter before digging around in the cupboard for coffee supplies. "What I don't understand is why she thinks it's inappropriate to call and tell us at midnight on a Saturday but appropriate to call us on a Sunday at six in the morning. By the time I was done doing the sisterly thing and half-listened to her go on and on about how romantic it was, I was already too awake, and then Oliver called me at eight and I asked if I would bring these to you because he doesn't have your address, something about the possibility of him being a serial killer, and he really wanted to make sure you got those flowers."

"I told her we should have left the flowers at home, they would have looked nice on our dining room table," Nyssa said as she joined Sara in the kitchen, giving her a quick, chaste kiss. "I take it the date went well last night?"

"Far from it," Felicity grumbled in response as she slumped into a chair at the kitchen table. "We didn't even manage to have a date."

Sara handed her a coffee and sat down next to her. "What happened?"

"Well, first he was an hour late because of work," she said as she took a sip of the steaming hot coffee, burning her tongue in the process.

"Inexcusable," Nyssa offered up as she joined them at the kitchen table. "There's no reason to be late for a date unless someone died."

Felicity snorted into her coffee. "If I went by your dating standards, I'd be single forever. Though I probably will be at the rate I'm going."

"I've been late for every single one of our dates," Sara added rather pointlessly.

Nyssa folded her arms and put them on the table, leaning in close to Sara. "And I love you in spite of that."

Sara rolled her eyes but the love was clear in them. "Excuse me while I swoon."

"I know you two are sickeningly adorable but can you wait to rub it into my face until I've had at least half a cup of coffee?"

"Pre-coffee Felicity is one of the few things I don't miss about living together," Sara retorted. "Now what happened with the rest of the date? Did you stay at the restaurant until he showed up? Did you guys still have dinner?"

"He called me right after I finally gave up and left the restaurant."

"And you waited?" Nyssa asked.

"I wanted to hear what he had to say and I wanted to give him a piece of mind." That had been her original plan but he'd been sincere about how sorry he was when he'd finally shown up. Another example of her frightening inability to say no to him when he was standing in front of her. "We ended up deciding to still have dinner but at a different restaurant."

"So he showed up an hour late with some lame excuse about work and you still went to dinner with him?" She didn't need to look at Nyssa to know she had a deep frown on her face.

"We never made it to the restaurant. His friends had their baby last night, early from the sounds of it, and he had to go. We rescheduled again for Friday." She took a drink of her coffee, avoiding Nyssa's gaze.

She didn't have to try very long before she was saved by her phone ringing. She scrambled out of her chair, dashing into her bedroom where she'd left her phone on the nightstand. She answered it breathlessly, not bothering to check who was calling. "Hello?"

"Hey," Oliver's voice greeted her softly and she could immediately feel the corners of her mouth lift up in a smile.

"Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful."

"I'm glad you like them. Consider them an apology for last night and a thank you for giving me another chance."

"How's the baby?" she asked as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"Good, healthy, perfect. Thank you again for being so understanding. She's John's first kid and he was freaking out a bit."

"I'm not going to hold you being a good friend against you."

"Good to know. I just wanted to call and make sure you got the flowers, I'll see you on Friday."

They said their goodbyes and she spent a moment clutching the phone to her chest, a giddy feeling spreading throughout her body. She should really work on containing her excitement, considering how last night went, but she didn't think she could, or maybe she didn't want to.

There was a sharp rap on her bedroom door that startled her. "Hang up that phone and come spend time with your besties before we decide we'd rather spend our Sunday having sex," Sara called through the door.

Felicity rolled her eyes, hearing a mumbled chastisement from Nyssa, before she joined them again in the kitchen. "Why would you want to do that when you can spend the day here helping me unpack?"

Sara's eyes widened. "You know, I think Nyssa and I promised to have lunch with my parents. I must have forgotten."

"She's lying. We'd be happy to help you unpack," Nyssa said.

"Speak for yourself," Sara grumbled in return.

Felicity and Nyssa shared a laugh and Felicity was grateful that she had these women in her life. She wouldn't trade their friendship for the world.

* * *

Felicity's week flew by as she learned the ins and outs of her new job. She was happy to discover that she got along with most of her fellow employees and she got on fantastically with her boss, Richard Martin. Everything was going great until Friday.

Technically, it started to go downhill on Wednesday but she didn't start to see the ramifications until Friday. Wednesday was the first day that she saw Oliver since their date-that-never-was when he came to see her in the IT department under the guise of seeing what kind of food she wanted to have for their date but she knew that he just wanted an excuse to see her. She was happy he did, it was the highlight of her day, seeing him for five brief minutes, and she'd found herself tempted to come up with some lame excuse to go see him. It didn't last long. The reality of trying to come up with a reason to see the COO was too daunting but it had been a nice daydream break in her day. Thursday, he came to her office again, this time to tell her that he was going to pick her up this time, like a proper date. She'd dragged out giving him her address, something that he happily played along with, and they enjoyed some flirtatious banter before Oliver had to leave. There had been no visit on Friday but knowing she was going to be seeing him tonight and it was enough to push through the day. Her good mood changed an hour before she left when she overheard two co-workers discussing her...and Oliver.

They had speculated on their date, why her of all people, if that was why she got this job, if she was trying to sleep her way to the top. Nothing Felicity hadn't expected, she just hadn't expected it so soon. They hadn't even been on a real date yet! She'd tried the rest of the day to not let that hang over her head but it was back there, whispering at her, reminding her of all the worries and fears she had about going on this date in the first place.

Oliver came over to her side of the car, opening her door and offering her his hand. She took it, hoping he couldn't see how affected she was by such a simple touch, but that worry evaporated when she got to her feet and saw that he was watching her with a curious expression. For a moment, the world fell away as they stood there on the sidewalk, gazes locked on each other.

"Felicity? Is that you?" An uncomfortably familiar voice called out, breaking the moment between Oliver and Felicity.

Felicity's eyes widened and she stiffened. "Oh no," she whispered so quietly he barely heard her. She gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm going to apologize right now for what's about to happen."

He looked over his shoulder to find a man approaching them with a petite blonde following behind him. The man was a little shorter than Oliver with brown hair and Oliver immediately disliked him, mostly because he didn't like the familiarity his eyes held as they drifted up and down Felicity's body.

"I thought that was you, I haven't seen you in forever," the man said as he pushed past Oliver to give Felicity a hug which she awkwardly returned, surprise and suspicion clouding her eyes. "What's it been? A year? What are you doing in Starling City?"

Felicity stepped away from him, moving closer to Oliver. "I'm living here now, what are you doing here?" Oliver made a split second decision to close the distance between them, putting his arm on her shoulders, and pulling her closer. Her body turned into his partially, tucking herself into his side, and warmth spread throughout his body, enjoying the feel of her next to him. He didn't know if she allowed him to do it because of who was standing in front of them, someone she obviously had history with, or if she did it because she wanted to.

"I'm just in town for the day. I had a meeting with some investors. Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Cooper, this is Oliver Queen. Oliver, this is Cooper Seldon. We went to college together."

Oliver reached out to shake his hand, making sure his arm stayed around Felicity.

"I'm also her ex-boyfriend," Cooper said as he squeezed Oliver's hand.

"I'm her date, tonight," Oliver responded as he returned the handshake harder than he needed to.

"Ah, the heir apparent to Queen Consolidated," Cooper said before turning his attention back to Felicity. "I heard you were working there now. I just didn't realize you were that kind of girl." He lowered his voice when he said the last part but Oliver still heard him.

"And what kind of girl is that?" Oliver bit out, anger flashing through him at what Cooper was trying to imply.

He looked back to Oliver, smirking. "The kind of girl who slept with the CEO's stepson to get a job."

Oliver started to pull away from Felicity, uncertain of what he was going to do other than to put Cooper back in his place, but her fingers dug into his arm, stopping him. "We're meeting Sara and Nyssa for dinner, you and your date are more than welcome to join us," Felicity said, surprising Oliver.

Cooper glowered at her before shaking his head. "Thanks for the offer but Ashley and I have plans. It was good to see you again, Felicity."

"I'll tell Sara you said hi," she called after him as he stormed off, his date struggling to keep up. She groaned loudly and stepped away from Oliver. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was in town or that we were going to run into him. Obviously. And I wasn't really inviting him to dinner, he just hates Sara and I knew that would chase him off. I'm sorry."

"Hey," he said softly, his hand holding onto her shoulder gently, bringing her attention to him and away from that douche bag. She'd just moved away from him but he had an irresistible urge to touch her and this seemed safe enough. "You don't need to apologize. He's the one who should be apologizing to you. What he said about us, about you using me to get a job, was uncalled for." He felt himself getting worked up and he wanted to chase after Cooper and drag him back here to apologize.

Felicity waved him off. "He's not the first to say it or think it and he won't be the last. I know I got the job because I graduated top of my class from MIT and I got the job before I even met you and I'm not trying to sleep with you to advance my career. I mean, I'm not trying to sleep with you, not that I don't want to, I just mean that this a first date and I'm not that kind of girl. And when I say that I want to sleep with you, I don't mean right now or even in the future because it's a little presumptuous and I'm going to stop talking in 3, 2, 1." An adorable flush rose to her cheeks and Oliver grinned down at her. Now he understood what she told him when they first met, about how it was nice to be on the other side of that.

His smile vanished as another thought occurred to him. "Has someone else said something to you about you going on a date with me?"

She averted her eyes to the ground and he knew the answer, anger filling him again. "I may have overheard a couple people talking about it but even if they're not saying it, they're thinking it. I don't blame them. I mean, look at us."

"Are you trying to imply that I can only get dates with girls who want to move up in my family's company?" He knew that wasn't what she was getting at but he wanted to lighten the mood. He didn't want the date to end before they managed to get into the restaurant. Again.

A small smile graced her lips. "You know that's not what I was saying. I just mean that you're you and I'm me. You're genetically blessed, filthy rich, charming and smooth while I'm the awkward child of a cocktail waitress from Vegas who works in the IT department of your family's company. I'd be confused if I were them, too." She cringed, like she hadn't meant to say that much out loud.

"Let's get something straight here, Felicity," he paused, making sure he had her full attention. "I asked you out because I like you. Because you're gorgeous and smart and I want to get to know you. So unless you're here for some reason other than you're attracted to me and want to get to know me, I say we go into that restaurant and have ourselves a real date."

There was a silence that felt like forever before she finally grinned, nodding. "That sounds like the best idea I've heard all day."

They made their way into the restaurant, hands brushing against each other every few steps but neither made a move to take it any farther. The mood changed even more when they stepped inside the busy restaurant, the romantic lighting and soft music made them both feel unusually subdued. "Reservations for Queen, please," he said to the hostess. Felicity smoothed down her short yellow dress nervously and Oliver placed his hand on the small of her back, leaning down to whisper, "You look beautiful."

She bit her lip and whispered back, "You're not so bad yourself." He laughed loudly as the hostess showed them to their table where they sat down, sharing a smile as they began to browse their menus. "Have you been here before?" Felicity asked as she debated between having the salmon or the steak.

"I used to eat here all the time but I haven't been here in years. My dad used to take me, my mom, and Thea here to eat once a month. It was his way of making sure we all sat down for dinner as a family."

Robert Queen had died in a boating accident three years earlier and while she'd seen the news coverage then, it had slipped her mind that it was Oliver's father. "Were you close with your dad?" She wasn't sure if she should ask, she didn't know how he felt about talking about his father but she was hoping that since he was the one who broached the topic that it meant it was okay to talk about it.

"We were when I was growing up," he said. "As I'm sure you know, I wasn't the ideal son for a long time and we drifted apart. By the time, I got my act together, he was already gone."

That would explain the new and improved Oliver, a man trying to live up to his father's legacy. She set her menu down and reached across the table to briefly squeeze his hand. "I'm sure your father would be extremely proud of the man you've become."

The grateful and appreciative look he gave her made her heart swell and she was struck again by how fast her feelings were growing. She barely knew him and had barely spent any time with this man but she felt herself falling farther and farther down the rabbit hole the more time she spent with him. She took her hand back, placing it in her lap, and focused her attention back on the menu.

"Hello, I'm Holly and I'll be your server tonight," the waitress said. "Are you guys ready to order..." She trailed off, staring intensely at Oliver. "I'll be damned. It's the elusive Oliver Queen. I hear you're a serious businessman now, must be why I never see you." The brunette smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder, and batting her eyelashes at Oliver.

Okay, so maybe she didn't bat her eyelashes but she might as well have considering the look in her eyes as she took in Oliver, Felicity ceasing to exist to her once she'd seen him. They obviously knew each other and Felicity wanted to bury her face in her hands. First, her ex-boyfriend and now Oliver's ex-whatever, this date was looking more and more doomed by the minute.

"Being Vice President of a Fortune 500 company doesn't leave me with a lot of spare time. I like to make the most of the time I do have," he said pointedly while staring at Felicity. "I'm ready to order. What about you, Felicity?"

Holly's mouth dropped open before she quickly clamped it shut. She turned to Felicity with a sour expression on her face and Felicity smirked, straightening up in her seat. "I'm ready."

They ordered their food, Oliver getting the steak and Felicity the salmon, and Holly stalked off, an awkward silence hanging in her wake.

"I'm sorry," Oliver said, breaking the silence.

"Do you notice how much time we spend apologizing to each other for things that are out of our control?" Felicity remarked with a small smile.

"Considering my past, this probably won't be the last time," he said glumly.

"Are you expecting more of your ex-girlfriends to crash our date or are you talking about future dates?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"She's not my ex-girlfriend, she's just someone I hung out with a few times years ago and I'm hopefully talking about future dates, if this night hasn't scared you off yet."

"I'm still sitting here, aren't I? Besides, we've already had an encounter with my ex and we shouldn't have another. My past isn't nearly as sordid as yours." She cringed, not liking the way that came out. "All I mean is that we've covered the fact that I'm well aware of your reputation and I understand that you've spent your entire life in this city. You obviously didn't know she was a waitress here so no harm, no foul." She left out how she starting to think that the universe was trying to tell them something.

Oliver smiled appreciatively. "Considering the disaster our last date was, I really wanted this one to be perfect." Holly chose that moment to bring a bottle of red wine to their table and Felicity didn't miss the nasty glare she tossed at her before leaving the table.

"I don't think you can count the last one as a date since we never made it I to the restaurant." She did count it but she didn't say that, not wanting to rub salt in the wound since he was as disappointed as she was over what happened. "Though, to be honest, with the exception of an awful blind date that Sara talked me into, I haven't been on a date in a very long time." She'd dated Cooper for two years, meeting him at school and before that she had one serious boyfriend throughout high school, which left her with not much first date experience. Or at least a first date that she wanted to go well.

"I haven't either. Not a real date anyways."

She picked up her glass of wine and held it up. "To a wonderful real first date."

He smiled and they clinked glasses, Felicity taking a long drink of the rich and delicious wine. She wanted to know what kind it was but she didn't want to ask, knowing it probably cost as much as she made in a month.

"So why'd you move to Starling?" Oliver asked, changing the topic.

Felicity set her glass down. "It was either here or Gotham, both QC and Wayne Enterprises offered me jobs after graduation but Nyssa got a job at KORD and Sara's family's here so I decided that this would be the best place for me."

"You three are pretty close, then?"

"They're my family, I don't what I would do without them. I've known Nyssa since freshman year of college and we met Sara our sophomore year and we've been inseparable since. My dad took off when I was pretty young and my mom lives out in Vegas and we're not what you would call close so those girls are the closest thing I have to family. Nyssa's dad treats me like another daughter and the Lance's have been great, all of them have made me feel like part of a family unit for these last four years, it's been really great."

"Quentin and Dinah are great, their house was always open when we were kids. Tommy and I always went there after we'd driven our families crazy. Quentin wasn't my biggest fan once we hit high school but I think that was mostly because Tommy and I weren't always on the right side of the law during our teenage years. We get along now but I wasn't exactly welcome in the Lance house for a few years."

"Are you close with your family?"

"We're close now, my dad dying brought us a lot closer, but there's been some rough years. Right after Dad passed away, Thea found out that he wasn't her real father."

"I remember hearing about that." Oliver gave her a funny look and she continued, "Only because I was living with Sara whose sister is Laurel who's dating Tommy, Thea's brother, which of course you know because you've known all of them longer than I have, they're _your_ family." Someone please shut her up.

Oliver smiled at her, making her heart race. "When Thea found out Malcolm Merlyn was her father, she freaked, wouldn't talk to my mom for months, but they're good now. Thea's going to college in Central City so I don't see her much but she's a good kid, she's on the right path."

"You sound proud of her," Felicity remarked.

"I am. She's grown up a lot these last few years. I was worried about her for awhile but she had a close call when she was sixteen that knocked some sense into her and ever since, she's been a completely different person."

"Is she going to work for QC when she's done with school?"

Oliver shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think she's even sure she know what she wants to do but I know she interested about opening a club, following in Tommy's footsteps. Her boyfriend's the assistant manager at Verdant and I think they've talked about opening their own club, she says it's less pressure than running the company."

"She probably doesn't want to work underneath her big brother, assuming you're CEO by the time she graduates."

"From the sounds of it, I will be within the year," he said.

"You don't sound excited about it," she pointed out.

Oliver shrugged, taking a drink of his wine. "I'm excited but it's a terrifying idea. What if I'm not ready? What if I screw it up? This has been the plan since my father died and it's why I've been working closely with Walter for the last three years but I'll admit that I panicked a bit when Walter said he was planning to step down in the next year."

"I'm sure if he's stepping down, he's confident that you're ready," she assured him.

Oliver chuckled, shaking his head. "I think Walter just wants to hand over the responsibility. He says he wants to relax which is code for this job is too stressful."

Felicity laughed before taking another drink of her wine. "Which I'm sure makes you feel better about taking over."

"It takes all the pressure right off," he joked.

"Is being CEO what you really want to do?" She asked after their laughter subsided.

His face turned serious. "It is now. When I was younger, I wanted nothing to do with it, I didn't want any kind of responsibility, let alone that much. After my dad died, I realized that I had to step up to the plate but thankfully, I was smart enough to know that I wasn't ready to be CEO and learning from Walter was the best way to go. At first, I did it out of obligation to my family but after awhile, I realized that I love it. I love the little details of it, I love the people that I work with, and I love this company," he stopped, redness creeping into his cheeks, something that she thought didn't happen often. "It's what I want, I just want to be ready when I do it."

At that moment, Holly arrived with their food, setting Oliver's plate down in front of him, complete with a view of her cleavage which to Oliver's credit he managed to ignore, keeping his eyes locked on Felicity. Felicity gave Oliver a bemused expression, for the most part impressed by this woman's complete lack of shame, enough to dampen her annoyance. As Holly placed Felicity's plate in front of her, her arm bumped Felicity's glass, spilling the liquid into her lap. Felicity yelped and jumped up, knocking the table with her knees and toppling the bottle of wine which rolled and knocked Oliver's plate to the floor.

Felicity and Oliver were both on their feet now, surveying the ruined food and staring incredulously at Holly.

"I'm so sorry, I'll get you a new table," Holly said, sounding unapologetic.

"Don't bother," Felicity snapped. She stepped carefully over the food on the floor, coming to stand in front of Oliver. "Why don't you go get the car while I go to the bathroom and try to save this dress?"

He looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do but he didn't say anything, choosing to simply nod instead. She made her way through the crowded restaurant, growing increasingly uncomfortable under the weight of their heavy stares and the hushed whispers. By the time she got to the bathroom, she was almost jogging, rushing to get away from the packed room.

She glowered at the large red stain that was drying on her yellow dress. She didn't know how to get wine stains out of clothes, she thought it might have been club sods but she wasn't sure and she wasn't going to go back out and ask. She didn't care about the dress, she'd just needed an excuse to get out of there but now she hated the crestfallen look that was reflected back at her in the mirror. She braced herself against the counter, hanging her head, a melancholy mood settling over her. It had been one thing after another this entire date and she was starting to believe that the universe really was telling them that this wasn't going to work. She liked Oliver, she really did, which was what made this feel even worse, knowing that this wasn't going to work.

The bathroom door swung open but Felicity didn't bother looking up, smoothing her hair back and straightening out her ruined dress.

"I'm sure that you think you're different, that maybe he really likes you," Holly said, her voice startling Felicity. She turned around to face the taller woman who stood over her, arms crossed underneath her breasts. She managed to be intimidating in the crisp white button up and black pants that were her uniform as she narrowed her eyes at Felicity. "He'll just do to you what he's done to every other slightly attractive girl in this city. He'll sleep with you and after he gets what he wants, you won't hear from him again."

Felicity rolled her eyes, ignoring the gut punch of those words, Holly voicing the same worries Felicity had expressed to Tommy. "Maybe he just doesn't like jealous girls who act like a child because he's on a date with someone else." She didn't bother hanging around to hear what else she had to say, instead storming out of the bathroom and heading outside.

Oliver was leaning against the car that was parked on the curb in front of the restaurant. He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes and pushed off of the car, opening the door. Unfortunately, the heel of her shoe chose that moment to snap off, sending her tumbling forward.

Thankfully, Oliver was quick to step forward and catch her, saving her from hitting the pavement. Felicity looked up at him, finding that they were much too close now with barely an inch separating their bodies. She knew that she should move away from him but with his hands grasping her upper arms and hers splayed against his chest, she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. His eyes flickered towards her lips and she stopped breathing, wondering if he was going to kiss her. His head dipped ever-so-slightly before thunder cracked loudly and rain began to pour out of the sky, drenching them in an instant.

They pulled apart and rushed into the car, settling in on opposite sides of the spacious backseat. There was a beat of silence as the car pulled away from the curb before they both burst into laughter. "I can't tell if that was better or worse than our last date," Oliver remarked.

"Better because we actually made it into the restaurant yet worse because we made it into the restaurant," Felicity answered and they laughed again but it was more subdued this time.

Silence hung heavy in the car as they both became lost in their thoughts, neither speaking for fear that it would mean that it was really over. The date hadn't gone well and if they were both honest, none of their encounters had gone that well. They got along well and they were attracted to each other but every time they got together, things went horribly wrong.

"Look, Oliver," Felicity started.

"I know that tonight wasn't the greatest," Oliver said at the same time.

"You go first," Felicity said, wanting to prolong the moment before she had to tell him that this wasn't going to work.

Oliver sighed, staring down at his hands that were clasped together in his lap. "I know that we haven't had the best luck but—" he was cut off by a loud thump from the right side of the car, the sound continuing as the driver pulled over to the side of the road. "What's going on?"

"It's just a flat tire, sir. I'll have us back on the road in ten minutes or so," he called back before exiting the car.

"And our luck continues," Felicity mumbled. If she was a person who was easily frustrated, she might have been pulling her hair out but she wasn't. This was all leaving her only mildly annoyed. Okay, maybe more than mildly but she'd really wanted this to go well and she knew Oliver did, too. At this point, they had to accept it was doomed, a thought that left her feeling down in the dumps and ready to go home and curl up on the couch with a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. "Actually, I think we're only a couple of blocks from my place, I could walk from here." And make it home before the driver managed to change the tire.

"Felicity, please don't go," he pleaded.

She stopped, her hand on the door handle, her broken heel in the other. "Oliver, I had a good time tonight even with everything that went wrong but I'm ready to go home and change out of these wet clothes. It's not a big deal, my place isn't very far."

"So you'd rather walk three blocks in the pouring rain with one shoe then sit in the car with me for ten minutes?" He asked, a hint of sadness lacing his voice.

Her resolve softened and she nearly stayed in the car until his phone rang. He pulled it out his pocket, jaw clenching as he read the caller ID. "What is it?" He bit out as he answered.

She gave him a sad smile and opened the door, stepping out into the rainy night. She pulled her other heel off, bringing her back down to her below average height. She didn't make it more than ten feet before she heard a car door open and shut behind her. She stopped and waited for the footsteps to catch up to her.

"At least let me walk you home," he said, flashing her his boyish smile, only visible because of the headlights shining on them.

She nodded, unable to say no. He grinned and shrugged out of his jacket, holding it out for her. "I know it's wet but it'll still be warmer than walking home in just that dress." She had no good argument so she let him help her into the over-sized dinner jacket.

They stayed quiet, walking close enough to each other that their arms bumped together every few steps. It was a nice walk, even with the cold rain and the frustration from the night hanging over them. "What was the phone call about? If you don't mind me asking."

"There's a problem at work and Walter's in Russia for the next five days so they called me. I guess it's a preview of what's to come when I'm the actual CEO."

"Ah, don't you just love the responsibility that comes along with being an adult?" She teased.

"That would be why I spent years running from it," he said.

"I was always the opposite, I'm always running towards responsibility which probably stems from the fact that my mom's a giant flake. Don't get me wrong, she always did her best by me but she's not the most reliable of people."

"Well she did a good job raising you," he said sweetly, making Felicity glad that he couldn't see the blush rising in her cheeks.

They arrived at her place, both of them quiet until they reached front door and blocked from the rain by the overhang. "I know this date sucked, for lack of a better word, but I like you, Felicity and I liked spending time with you tonight even if everything else went wrong," he said as he stared down at her, towering over her without the extra height her heels gave her.

"I did, too, Oliver, but—"

"Before you say anything else," he cut her off. "I want to remind you of the saying that the third time's the charm. I know that it's been one thing after another since we met but I also know that you're all I've been able to think about since I met you and I don't want to give up just because of two admittedly bad dates."

"Oliver..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say, having already decided that there wasn't another date in their future.

His eyes drifted down to her lips again and she desperately wanted him to kiss her, to change her mind. His head started to move towards her and her eyes slid shut in anticipation. She felt his breath on her face and she knew that all she had to do was lean into him and their lips would be touching.

Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be as his phone began to ring again, blaring loudly and destroying the moment. Felicity sighed as disappointment rippled through her and he gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

She nodded sadly and leaned against her front door as he snapped into the phone that he would be there as soon as he could. It was then that the town car pulled up, signaling that the night had really come to an end. He looked between her and the car as he put his phone back in his pocket, regret plain on his face. "It's okay, you should go, it sounds like it must be pretty important," she told him, mostly because she needed him to go so she could go inside to wallow in her misery.

He lingered for a minute, obviously wanting to say more before his shoulders sagged, accepting that he had to go. "I'll call you, we'll figure something out, okay?" He stood there waiting for her to answer. She nodded and he smiled at her one last time before turning around and making his way to the car.

He made it halfway down the path leading away from her apartment before she realized that she couldn't let him leave without telling him where she stood. "Oliver!" She called out to him as she jogged up to him. "I like you, Oliver, I really do," she said.

"But?" he finished for her.

"But I don't think this is going to work out and it's not just because of how our dates have gone because honestly I've had worse. I've been living here for just over a week, I haven't had a chance to settle in yet, and I haven't exactly made any friends outside of Sara's friends and family. And that's not even including that I just finished my first week at my new job, at a company that you're going to be CEO of in the very near future, and I don't want to do anything to cloud my future there. People are already talking and it's not that I care what they say or what they think, it's that people are going to know me by that reputation before they even put a face to the name. You already have a lot on your plate and it's only going to get crazier for you, this isn't the best time for either of us. Maybe things keep going wrong for a reason, maybe this is so hard because it's not meant to happen." She hated saying those words out loud but she knew it was the right thing to do.

Disappointment flashed across his face but it was gone so quickly she wasn't even sure it happened to begin with. He smiled but it was tense and forced and she decided that it was her least favorite of them all. "I understand. It's okay," he said in an oddly soft tone, the words coming out strained. "I have to go." He didn't hang around this time, walking briskly to the car and disappearing inside. She stood on the sidewalk and waited until the tail lights faded from view before she finally went into the apartment.

* * *

The next night, Felicity was sitting in Sara and Nyssa's living room, drinking a glass of wine, while Laurel filled them in on the details of Tommy's romantic proposal.

"I've known it was coming since he bought the ring but it was still incredible and romantic and sweet and..."

Felicity tuned Laurel out, not on purpose, but she didn't want to hear how well Laurel's love life was going. She was incredibly happy for her and Tommy but she'd felt miserable since last night which wasn't the best head space to be in while listening to a story about a romantic engagement. She kept seeing Oliver's face before he'd climbed into the car and it was killing her. She knew it was the right thing to do but she didn't expect it to make her feel as down as it did.

"Felicity? Are you with us?" Sara asked, nudging her with her elbow.

"Yeah, sorry, what were guys saying?"

"Are you okay? You seemed pretty deep in thought," Laurel said.

"I'm fine. Besides, we're here to talk about your engagement, not my love life." She took another drink to distract herself from the intense stares the other three woman were giving her.

"So you are thinking about Oliver," Sara stated.

"So do you have a date picked out?" She asked Laurel, not-so-subtlety changing the subject.

Laurel narrowed her eyes at Felicity. "Yes, it's in two months and you're a bridesmaid so all you're going to hear about until then is wedding talk. Now tell us about your date."

Felicity took another hasty drink. "Is two months long enough to plan a wedding?" She could pull a wedding off in that amount of time but that was because she'd always wanted small and quiet affair, something she didn't think Laurel would be game for.

Nyssa answered for Laurel. "You missed the part where she said she knew when Tommy bought the ring months ago and she's been doing under the radar planning since then. Now get on with the story."

Felicity sighed dramatically and set her nearly empty glass on the dark oak coffee table. She told them about her date with Oliver in excruciating detail from the moment he picked her up to the moment she watched him drive away. When she was done, all three women were unusually quiet.

"So that's it?" Unsurprisingly, Sara was the first to break the silence. "You're not going to see him again because the date went badly? Even though you're both obviously attracted to each other and you have amazing chemistry? You're going to ignore all of that because of a bad date?" Her pitch had risen higher and higher, signaling to Felicity that Sara was genuinely upset about this turn of events. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"She has a point, Sara," Laurel said. "Going out with Oliver could jeopardize her career, she's been there for one week, it's not a good idea to date the future CEO."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Of course you agree with her about that, what with you being a high-powered ADA workaholic."

Laurel's raised eyebrows suggested her sister had gone a little too far but after Sara gave her a sheepish look and a mumbled apology, all was forgiven and forgotten. "I didn't say she was right, I just said she had a point. I've known Ollie my whole life and he's been a different person since his dad died. If this was the Ollie from three years ago, I would tell you to run as fast and as far as you can but he's not that guy. He's pulled together every aspect of his life except for the romantic side of things. Tommy and I have tried to set him up plenty of times but it never makes it farther than the first date. I'm not saying that he's a saint, he's a grown man and he gets lonely, especially when you consider that every person in his life is in a stable relationship, but he hasn't been able to find someone that he connects with on a deeper level. I'm not trying to push you into seeing him or tell you that you made the wrong decision, you're the only one who knows what's right and wrong for your life, I just want to make sure that your decision to not see him again isn't based on his reputation because that's not the man he is anymore." Laurel leaned back in her chair, taking a calm drink of her wine, the equivalent of a mic drop after that speech.

"I know you're right and he's a great man and I'm sure that he'll find the right person but it's not me. I'm not ready for a serious relationship and I'm not willing to risk everything that I've spent my entire life working towards."

Laurel nodded, understanding where she was coming from but the same couldn't be said for Sara who was too busy giving Felicity the death glare to end all death glares. Sara was her pushiest friend when it came to her love life so she understood her frustration but she wasn't changing her mind. "What about you, Nyssa?" Sara asked. "I'm obviously Team Oliver, Laurel's Team Career, what are you?"

"I'm not Team Career, I'm Team Do Whatever Makes You Happy," Laurel clarified.

Sara waved her off, waiting for her girlfriend to offer up her opinion. "I have to say I'm Team Felicity. I don't see why she has to be in relationship, something I've been telling you since her and Cooper broke up, and I think she's right. I don't think her and Oliver are right for each other."

"I should have known you wouldn't be any help," Sara grumbled.

Nyssa grinned, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. "Though if Felicity is looking for some casual romance, there's this guy at KORD I think you would really hit it off with."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "I thought you were on my side, didn't you just you don't see why I need to be in relationship?"

"Who said anything about a relationship? I just thought you could have some fun, go on a date or something. You and Cooper broke up over a year ago and I fully support you not getting into a serious relationship but I think you could use some fun."

"I still can't believe Cooper was in town," Sara said, irritation coloring her voice.

"You're telling me," Felicity groaned. "I wish you could have seen his face when I told him we were meeting you for dinner, I don't think he could get out of there fast enough."

"Good. I hate that little creep," she said, making a face.

Laurel chuckled, shaking her head, and tucking a piece of long brown hair behind her ear. "You must really hate this guy."

"The feelings mutual, especially since she hit him in the head with a pool stick," Felicity said.

"You did what?" Laurel asked her sister with wide eyes.

"We were at the bar one night and he was drunk, acting like an idiot. He tried to leave and Felicity stopped him, trying to take his keys so he wouldn't drive drunk, and he shoved her. So I hit him in the head with the closest thing and knocked him out cold," Sara told her proudly.

"It wasn't like he hit me, he was drunk and he wasn't thinking straight. We broke up the next day because of it but he had deeper issues that he needed help with and I couldn't do it," Felicity said, recalling what a nightmare the last three months of their relationship had been. "I don't want to talk about Cooper or Oliver anymore. Let's get back to the wedding talk."

That did the job, all four women quickly gabbing away, working out the logistics of planning a wedding in two months. Felicity was careful to pay attention, not wanting to drift off and bring the focus back to her. She'd been honest with them for the most part but she'd kept the real deciding factor to herself.

Last night after he'd left, while she was sitting in the bath, drinking a glass of red wine and eating ice cream straight from the carton, she'd realized why she'd really told him that they wouldn't work out. The thing was, what she was so reluctant to say out loud, was that Oliver (and her feelings towards him) terrified her. She was already infatuated with him from the little amount of time they'd spent together and she knew that if she let herself, she could easily fall for him. It wouldn't be the kind of feelings that were calm and safe, they would be the kind of feelings that would swallow you up and spit you up in the end, and that was something she couldn't let happen. She wouldn't be the kind of girl that chose a man over everything else and yes, she'd only been on one official date with Oliver but she could feel it in her bones. He would consume her if she gave him the chance.

So yes, she stopped things before they really began but it wasn't because she was a coward. No, it was because she was logical.

As she listened to Laurel describe her perfect wedding, Felicity thought maybe if she kept telling herself that, it would ring true.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN- So it occurred to me last night while I was thinking about how impatient and indecisive I am that if I post a chapter a day starting today that I would be posting the last chapter on the day that 3x20 airs...and we all know what's going down then. So forget everything I've said about posting up to this point because I'm officially going to do one a day leading up to 3x20 because I need to do something to deal with the excitement of the next week. Enjoy!**

Chapter Four

Felicity was nervous. She kept telling herself that it was because of the crowded ballroom or because she was on her third date with Ronnie Raymond, the guy Nyssa knew from KORD enterprises, or that they were on a date where he was going to meet her friends but none of those were the cause of her nerves. No, she knew the real culprit the moment their eyes met across the room and her heart jumped into her throat.

It had been a month since she'd shot him down and she'd done her best to avoid him, this being the first time they'd been in the same room with each other for more than a fleeting second. It was relatively easy to dodge him considering that even though they worked in the same building, they didn't work in the same space. He'd popped up in the IT department once to have a meeting with her boss and she'd known the second they were on the same floor but that had been the only time she'd seen him. She spent most of her time working or spending time with Sara and Nyssa when they weren't working themselves. The little free time she had between work and hanging out with them, she'd spent on dates with Ronnie. They got along well, had common interests, and neither were interested in anything serious. So far, it was good and more importantly, it was low-risk. Safe. Unlike the man that was making his way across the dance floor towards them.

Sara and Nyssa had already drifted away from them, mingling with the rest of the guests at Tommy and Laurel's engagement party, so it was only her and Ronnie standing there while Oliver approached them.

"Hey," he greeted her softly and she hated to admit that for the briefest of moments, the world around them dropped away.

She smiled as the world came rushing back in, the din of the room buzzing in her ears. "Hey," she replied. They stood there for longer than they should have, holding each other's gazes, sharing what felt like a private moment. Ronnie cleared his throat next to her, reminding her that she wasn't here alone. "Oliver, this is Ronnie Raymond, my date tonight. Ronnie, this is Oliver Queen, my..." She trailed off awkwardly, unsure of what to call him. They weren't exactly friends but acquaintance didn't seem to cover it either. Friend of a friend? Steaming hot attraction that could never happen? Definitely not that last one.

"We're friends," Oliver finished for her, saving her from further embarrassment. "I'm best friends with the groom." He held his hand out to Ronnie, who stared at it for a beat, before taking his own hand out of his pocket and accepting Oliver's handshake. Felicity didn't have to be a part of it to realize that they were both exerting more force than was necessary for a normal handshake.

They stepped away from each other and she could have sworn that Ronnie moved closer to her, an unspoken message to Oliver that she was here with him. She repressed the urge to roll her eyes at the childish display, not wanting to be the reason these two men engaged in a pissing contest.

"I actually came here because I want you to meet someone or rather they want to meet you," Oliver said to her.

Felicity raised an eyebrow. "They want to meet me?" She racked her brain for possibilities of who it could but she was stuck on the thought that it was going to be his date.

He gave her a sly grin. "Trust me, you're going to want to meet them." E moved next to her, his hand finding the small of her back before he met Ronnie's eyes over her head. "I hope you don't mind, I promise I'll bring her right back."

Normally, she would have said no on principle because she didn't know what his motivations were for pulling her away from her date but she was intrigued. She glanced up at Ronnie, who looked reluctant to agree, but he soon nodded his head. "I'll go get us some drinks while you're doing that. Don't keep her too long, Queen." He gave Oliver one last hard stare before leaving her alone with him.

"What's this all about, Oliver?" She asked as he started to lead her over to the other side of the room.

"You'll see," was all he said as they walked around the dance floor.

She kept quiet as he lead her over to a smaller blonde woman and a tall black man who she quickly realized was Walter Steele, current CEO of Queen Consolidated. She froze in her tracks, finding herself overwhelmed with nervousness. "Uh, Oliver, I don't know—"

"Like I said, trust me, you're going to want to hear what he has to say."

She gave him a curious look but she let him lead her over to the couple. "Mom, Walter, I want you to meet Felicity Smoak. Felicity, this is my mother, Moira Queen, and her husband, Walter Steele."

Felicity shook their hands and tried to refrain from making a fool out of herself but it was harder than it sounded. "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you, it really is. Mrs. Queen, I've been an admirer of yours for years. The example you set for women in business and the path you carved out for yourself while you helped your late husband build Queen Consolidated is inspiring and you, Mr. Steele, have done a tremendous job bringing innovative ideas to the company and putting it in an exciting and fresh new direction that will only serve to further ensure the legacy of QC. Which is something that I'm sure the both of you know since you're the ones that did all of that and I'm not saying anything you haven't heard a million times. I'm nervous," she admitted, willing herself to stop talking. "And when I get nervous, I tend to ramble which is exactly what I'm doing right now so I'm going to stop."

Moira laughed, loudly, drawing attention to their small group, and Felicity wished the ground would swallow her up. "You are too kind, Miss Smoak, I've done little more than support the incredible men that I've been fortunate enough to marry," she said as she smiled up at her husband before giving Felicity a conspiratorial wink, showing that she knew exactly how much she'd contributed to QC's success. "As much as I'd like to stand here and talk business, I just saw Thea walk in and I haven't seen my youngest child in weeks, so if you'll excuse me. It was nice to meet you, Miss Smoak," she said before dashing off to greet Thea.

"Miss Smoak, I've heard equally wonderful things about you since you've joined the company," Walter said once Moira left them.

She tried to keep the shock off of her face at the fact that he not only knew her name but that he'd also heard things about her. "You have?"

He nodded. "I've been good friends with Richard Martin since college and he hasn't been able to stop singing your praises since you started. He said that the changes you've implemented during your brief employment have completely turned the IT department around."

She blushed, a smile tugging at her lips. "Mr. Martin is a fantastic boss and he's been completely supportive of my ideas. He creates a great work environment."

"I'm just happy to learn that things are going swimmingly. I know that Wayne Enterprises did their best to recruit you, and while they've managed to hijack quite a few of our IT employees and potential employees, I'm glad that we were able to steal the brightest of the bunch."

"I have to admit that it was tempting to take the job at Wayne Enterprises but I'm very happy with my decision, you have a great company, Mr. Steele."

He waved a hand, dismissing her compliment. "Only because I have great employees. Keep up the good work, Miss Smoak, I'm excited to see what your future at QC holds. Now if you'll excuse, I'm going to find my wife, you two enjoy your night."

Felicity watched him walk away, barely keeping a lid on her excitement, her body practically vibrating with the effort of holding it back. "That was incredible," she whispered in hushed amazement as she turned back to Oliver.

He beamed down at her. "I told you that you were going to want to hear what he had to say."

"Was this you?" As much as she appreciated Mr. Steele's kind words, the effect would be lessened if it only happened because Oliver put in a good word.

He held his hands up, palms facing her, as if to say his hands were clean in the matter. "This was all your boss. He's the one who talked Walter's ear off about you and he's the one who hired you When I told Walter you would be here tonight, he asked if I would introduce the two of you. This happened because you're good at what you do."

She shook her head, smiling softly, before her eyes bugged out. "Oh my god, I totally fangirled over them."

"It was adorable," he told her.

Damn him, she thought. Why did he have to be so...great? She caught Ronnie standing across the room glowering at them, Oliver seeing it at the same time, and she gestured for him to give them one minute. "I should get back to my date—"

"I want to say something first," he interrupted. "I know that we probably didn't get off on the best foot but I thought since I'm going to be the best man and you're a bridesmaid, we're going to have to spend a lot of time together during all of this wedding stuff so I think that we should be friends."

"Friends?" she murmured.

He nodded tightly. "Yeah, I'm not saying we should hang out or anything. I just want us to be on the same page."

Ah. This was his way of putting her in the strictly friends box, the same thing she'd done the last time they were together. He was right, they were going to see each other, considering their friend group, and it was better if their failed dates didn't cloud things between them. She nodded her agreement, ignoring the dull throb in her chest at knowing they would never be anything more, knowing she had no right to be bummed out considering she'd done it first. "Friends sounds good," she said as she smiled, doing her best to appear unaffected. "I better get back to Ronnie and I'm sure your date is waiting for you," she said as she started to walk away.

"I didn't bring one," he said so quietly that she barely heard him. She stopped, lingering, unsure if she really wanted to walk away from him. "You should go before he comes over here."

She nodded, glancing back at Ronnie, who was looking more impatient by the minute. She had the sudden urge to explain to him that she was only with Ronnie because he was a safe option, someone to take her mind off of him, but not only would that make things awkward, it would also mean that she would have to admit that out loud, to someone other than herself. "Thank you, Oliver, for introducing me to your mom and Walter," she said instead, hoping he knew how truly grateful she was.

"That's what friends do, right?" His tone was pleasant and he was giving her the smile she recognized as his business one, the one that wasn't quite genuine, another one that she wasn't a big fan of.

"That is what friends do," she confirmed. "Enjoy the rest of the party, Oliver."

"You too, Felicity," he responded but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Ronnie who had finally starting to make his way over to them.

She reluctantly left Oliver, successfully managing to keep her gaze straight ahead on the tall, dark, and handsome man that was her date, the person she should be spending her time with.

"What was that all about?" Ronnie asked her as he handed her a drink.

"He wanted to introduce me to his mom and Mr. Steele," she said, doing her best to appear nonchalant.

"You mean his mom as in Moira Queen and Walter Steele, the CEO of Queen Consolidated?" he asked, awe tingeing his voice as he looked over her head, searching for the aforementioned people.

"Yes, those people. It was work related."

He scoffed. "I've worked at KORD for three years and I've never seen Ted Kord except for on TV. You said you've only been at QC for a month, right?"

"Yeah but Oliver and I are friends, he was just doing something nice. And Mr. Steele is friends with my boss who I've apparently made quite the impression on."

"I guess it helps to know the right people," he muttered. "Of course, it doesn't hurt that you're a borderline genius," he said a little brighter but she it didn't stop her from feeling a bit miffed over this entire conversation.

"It's just genius, nothing borderline about it," she mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Ronnie asked.

Thankfully, Tommy's voice at the microphone saved her from having to...well, save herself. "Excuse me, if I could have your attention for just one moment," his voice echoed throughout the room. He waited patiently on the stage for everyone to quiet down. He was looking particularly dapper tonight in a fitted black tux with a black bow-tie and his dark hair slicked back from his face. Laurel was standing at the front of the crowd, closest to the stage, looking stunning in a tight-fitting magenta dress while her and Tommy shared loving looks before he began to speak. "First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming tonight to celebrate our engagement, it means the world to both of us. I've known Laurel all of my life and I've been in love with her just as long. It took a long time for me to admit it to myself and even longer to tell her but the moment I did, my life completely changed for the better. I'm the luckiest man to have found a woman who is not only brave and thoughtful and considerate and drop dead gorgeous but who is also my best friend. I can't wait to marry you and start our lives together because you are my everything. I love you, Laurel Lance, from the bottom of my soul and I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together doing whatever I can to make you happy."

The room cheered and even from this far away, Felicity could see the happy tears welling up in Laurel's eyes as she watched the man she loved. Felicity grinned so big, her face hurt, clapping along with everyone as she ignored the small ripple of jealousy that coursed through her. She was happy for Laurel and Tommy but she envied them, a petty emotion that she pushed aside, moving closer to Ronnie while Tommy gestured for the crowd to quiet down again.

"I didn't come up here to just gush about my amazing wife-to-be, something that I could do all night, just ask any of my friends who would happily jump at the chance to make fun of me," he paused while the crowd laughed. "I'm also up here to let you know that the wedding will be a destination wedding, every guest will be given an all-expense paid trip to Bora Bora, courtesy of my father, Malcolm Merlyn. We can't wait to see you there and enjoy the rest of the party." He hopped off the stage and made his way over to Laurel, who greeted him with a prolonged kiss as a sappy love song began to play, a song that was on one of Felicity's more depressing playlists.

Tommy led her to the middle of the dance floor and they began to sway in time with the music. Party-goers observed the happy couple, making hushed remarks on the obvious love between Tommy and Laurel, until other couples began to slowly trickle onto the dance floor. Ronnie moved in front of her, holding his hand out as he asked, "Would you like to dance with me?"

She smiled demurely, nodding as she took his hand. He pulled her out onto the dance floor before pulling her close, his hands sliding around her waist. "I'm glad that you asked me to come with tonight and that I got to meet your friends."

"You say that now," she joked.

He smiled, showing off his perfect white teeth. "I'm serious, your friends are really nice and you're great. I've really enjoyed spending time with you, Felicity," he told her as they danced.

"Me too," she murmured. He pulled her a little closer and she let him, admitting that this felt nice.

The thing was that when she locked eyes with Oliver, who was leaning against the wall, drink in hand, was that maybe she didn't want nice. Maybe she didn't want safe. Maybe what she really wanted was standing across the room. Maybe she'd made too quick of a decision as far as Oliver was concerned. She'd never been the kind of person who ran away when something scared her but that's exactly what she'd done with Oliver. As she imagined what her night would have been like if she'd come with him and not Ronnie, she started to consider that maybe she'd made the wrong call.

* * *

She was gorgeous tonight. She was always beautiful but there was a special glow about her tonight. He didn't know if it was the gold dress with the fitted bodice that enhanced her already perfect curves, the fabric flaring out at her waist, flowing down to the floor, or if it was the smarmy looking man that called himself her date. He took a sip of his drink, the liquid burning his throat and warming his blood, as he watched her dance and smile and laugh. He allowed himself a moment to fantasize that it was him dancing with Felicity while her date stood in the corner and sulked but it didn't last long before he became aware that John was standing next to him, following Oliver's gaze and landing on Felicity.

"So that's the girl who's got you all twisted up inside?" John asked.

"I'm not twisted up inside," Oliver grumbled.

John chuckled, a deep rumble in his chest. "Keep telling yourself that. I might be in a sleep deprived, joyous haze of baby but that doesn't mean I'm dumb. I've spent the better of the night watching you moon over that girl and I know that you've been distracted for the last month. All signs point to you being torn up over something. You can't lie to me and tell me that it has nothing to do with the pretty blonde you're making heart eyes at and her date."

Oliver clenched his jaw, giving John a tight smile. "Nothing gets past you."

John snorted, shaking his head. "Please, I'm pretty sure the stoned waiter raiding the buffet noticed you moping over that girl. What I don't get is that you're just sitting back and letting this happen, that you're not fighting for her. The Oliver Queen I know fights for what he wants and there's no doubt in my mind that you want Felicity."

"It's not about her date," Oliver told him. "Okay, so maybe it's a little bit about her date but that's not the real reason," he added after John gave him a disbelieving look. "She just got out of college and she takes her career very seriously, which doesn't include dating the COO of the company that just hired her. I respect that." The song finally ended and he watched Felicity and Ronnie make their way back to the bar. "Besides, an opportunity has come up at work for her and I don't want to stand in the way of it. She doesn't know yet but when she finds out on Monday, the last thing she's going to want to do is date me." It was the whole reason he'd told her that he wanted to be friends. He wanted to remove any doubt that she got the job because of him and he wanted her to feel comfortable working with him, no matter how uncomfortable he felt. He might have feelings for her and he might have thought about her everyday since he'd left her standing in front of her apartment but that he didn't mean he needed to tell her that. She'd made it clear where she stood and Oliver wasn't going to push her.

John was giving him a curious look, eyes narrowed as he regarded Oliver. "Maybe you really are all grown up."

"If I am, it's because I have wise friends."

"There you go again, inflating his ego," Lyla teased. "Leaving me to be the one to bring him back down to earth."

Oliver grinned. "That's why you're his wife and I'm his best friend."

"Well, I'm going to steal your best friend," she said before turning to John. "I miss the baby, let's go home."

He leaned down to kiss her. "You read my mind."

"You made it two hours longer than I thought you would," Oliver observed.

Lyla frowned. "We've only been here for two hours."

"Exactly. I didn't even think you'd make it out of the house."

She playfully nudged Oliver. "Hilarious."

"Give the baby some love for me," he told her as he kissed her cheek.

"Stop by tomorrow for lunch, spend some time with Claire."

He told her he would and they said their goodbyes. Oliver met Felicity's eyes again, Ronnie talking to Tommy and Laurel, and he raised his glass to her before draining it. It was long past time for him to go home, he'd only hung around for enough time to pass so it didn't look like he was leaving because of Felicity and Ronnie. He set his empty glass on a passing waiter's tray and started to make his way to the exit.

"And where do you think you're going, Ollie?" Sara asked as she cut in front of him, blocking his way.

"I'm going home."

"But it's still early," she said.

"It's not that early. Why are you so concerned with when I leave?"

She didn't say anything, her eyes drifting across the room, and he didn't need to follow them to know they landed on Felicity. "Don't worry about Ronnie, I know Felicity well enough to know that she's using him as a distraction. I mean, she obviously likes him but it's just as obvious that she doesn't like him like she likes you."

He shook his head. "I think you're reading into things too much, Sara."

"You sound like her," she said as she rolled her eyes. "She'll come around if you're patient and give her time, it's not easy for her to open up."

"We're friends, that's it." The words almost rang true, a little more practice and maybe he could fool himself.

Sara frowned deeply. "I don't believe you."

"Stop trying to play matchmaker, Sara," Nyssa said as she joined them. "If they say they're friends, that's what they are, stop trying to push it."

"Exactly. Listen to your girlfriend, little Lance." He suspected Nyssa had her own reasons to back him up that mostly stemmed from her distrust of Oliver but he wasn't going to argue with it, especially since he could already tell Sara was backing off.

"Don't call me that, Ollie, and the only reason Nyssa is on your side is because she's the one who set Felicity up with Ronnie." She was small but she was still intimidating as she stood in front of him, both hands on her hips, glaring up at him.

"Well, I hope that he makes her happy," he said, keeping his back to the part of the room where Ronnie and Felicity were standing. He couldn't say it out loud if he was looking at them. "I'm going home now, Sara, try not to get into too much trouble." He gave her a quick hug, ignoring whatever she grumbled under her breath.

"Bye, Ollie," she said as he walked away from her. "See what you did?" She accused Nyssa.

"I did nothing, love. You're just going to have to accept that it's not happening. You've heard the both of them, they're just friends, time to move on."

"I'm not giving up. I've already given them a cute couple name and I'm invested. It'll happen, you'll see," she told her in a singsong tone.

Oliver laughed under his breath as he continued walking, doing his best to ignore the hope welling up in him at Sara's words. Hope was a dangerous emotion when it was concerning Felicity, he knew that she took her career seriously and Monday would only serve further that determination, which meant that they would be just friends.

In the end, he'd rather be her friend and hide these feelings from her then be honest and not have her in his life at all. Maybe John was right and he was growing up.

Now that was a scary thought.

* * *

She hadn't been in the office for more than an hour on Monday when Mr. Martin stopped by her desk to inform her that Mr. Steele wanted to see her in his office immediately. Panic bubbling in her throat, all she'd been able to do was nod. She'd hastily made her way up to the top floor, spending the entire elevator ride wringing her hands together. She'd screwed up somewhere and now she was getting fired, that had to be it. What other possible reason could the CEO want to see her?

Walter was alone at his desk, pouring over some paperwork that was spread across the otherwise neat surface. He didn't hear her approach and she lingered awkwardly for a moment before finally knocking lightly on the open glass door.

He looked up, slightly startled before he broke into a large grin. He took his glasses off, placing them on the desk, before getting to his feet and holding his hand out. "Miss Smoak, it's a pleasure to see you again."

She rushed forward to shake his hand, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Steele." She hoped he couldn't tell that her hands were shaky and clammy and if he did, his face showed no sign.

He gestured towards the chair on the other side of the desk. "Please, take a seat." He waited to speak again until they were both settled in their chairs, Felicity perched on the edge, nerves beyond frayed. "I wanted to discuss a new project that QC is taking on and your involvement in it."

She stayed quiet for a minute as his words sank in. "So you're not firing me?"

He gave her a blank stare before chuckling softly. "No, Miss Smoak, you're not getting fired."

"Oh, thank god," the words rushed out of her. "Sorry, it's just that when you get called to the CEO's office, it's hard not to think that you're getting fired. I had a speech ready and everything to convince you to change your mind."

"No speech necessary, Miss Smoak." He gave her a reassuring smile and folded his hands together on top of the desk. "As you're well aware, Wayne Enterprises is working on something big, as our depleted IT department can vouch for, mostly because they've signed a couple large contracts with the military this past year, and Oliver and I have spent a great deal of time planning something that will help us compete with them. We're going to move ahead with a plan to open an Applied Sciences division, a department specifically dedicated to scientific and technological innovations that I'm hoping will earn us a few of our own contracts. I want only the best of the best on this project and that's where you come in."

Felicity frowned. "I'm not sure how I could help."

"I need someone with computer expertise to set the system up and I was hoping you would agree to join the team."

"I'm flattered, Mr. Steele, but there has to be someone else. I haven't even been with QC for two months, there has to be someone who is more qualified." She didn't say someone better because her pride wouldn't allow her. She knew she was one of, if not the, best at what she did but this seemed like a lot to take on and she wanted to make sure this had nothing to do with who she knew and everything to do with her skill.

"Well, I spoke to Richard first but he declined, said that he wanted to focus on the IT department itself, especially with influx of new people, something that I agree with. He recommended you for the job, said you were better than him and that you should be the first choice. He even mentioned something about you taking his job over in a few years. I understand that this is unusual, considering the length of time that you've been here, but there aren't many people in the IT department that have been here longer than you and none with your skill. I trust Richard and his opinion with my life. If he says you're the one for the job, you're the one I want."

Felicity struggled to pick her jaw up off the floor, at a complete loss for words. She'd known that her boss liked her but she never imagined that he held her in such high regard. "I'm flattered, this is amazing," she finally managed to say. "Of course I'll do it, sir, it would be an honor."

"Fantastic," he beamed. "I'm hopeful the project will only take six weeks so I'll give you today to finish or delegate any current projects you're working on and report to Mr. Queen's office tomorrow morning where he'll fill you in on project specifics."

"Mr. Queen's office?"

"He's the head of the project. Everyone working on this project is the best at what they do but all of you will report to Mr. Queen directly. Is that going to be a problem?"

"Nope, no problem at all, I'm looking forward to working with Oliv—Mr. Queen." The words didn't come out as calm as she wanted them to but aside from a raised eyebrow, Mr. Steele didn't say anything.

He got to his feet, stretching his hand out to her again. "I have no doubt that this project will be a success."

She clasped his hand, shaking it a little harder than she needed to from the excitement that was threatening to burst from her. "I'm excited for this opportunity, Mr. Steele, thank you." She turned around to leave, having to stop once more to thank him again. She figured two was pretty good considering how grateful she was.

She barely restrained herself from running back to her desk, plopping herself into the chair once she got there, doing a giddy confined dance in it. Nothing could spoil her day, something she usually restrained from saying so not to taunt the universe into proving her wrong, but she threw caution to the wind, deciding that nothing was going to ruin today.

"How was your meeting with Walter?" Richard Martin asked, leaning against the doorway.

"You might want to stand back a few feet since I want to hug you so bad right now that I might actually do it and that would not be appropriate."

The short wiry man laughed, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "As enjoyable as I'm sure your hugs are, it's probably best if we don't. Don't want to give them anything to talk about." His tone was light but there was a look in his eyes that told Felicity he knew very well what they'd been saying about her and Oliver since she'd started. It didn't matter that they'd only gone on one official date, any good or bad thing that happened to Felicity was directly linked to her supposed relationship with Oliver. She was already preparing herself for what would happen once they learned that she was working on getting Applied Sciences up and running, working directly under Oliver. With Oliver. Thankfully, this was an internal conversation with herself and not with someone else. Though, admittedly, this probably wasn't the best time to be having a conversation with herself in her mind.

"Thank you, Mr. Martin, for recommending me. Seriously, thank you, this is an incredible opportunity."

"No, thank you, Felicity," he told her sincerely as he moved farther into the small and cramped room. Lowering his voice, he continued, "To be honest with you, I've barely been holding this department together for the last six months and you've been a complete godsend. The only employees I have left are people who weren't offered a job at Wayne Enterprises which means that they're not the talent I'm used to." He shook his head, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his wrinkled khakis. "I don't know what they're offering people over there or why you turned them down but I'm glad you did."

"Me too, Mr. Martin," she said, meaning it.

* * *

Later that evening, Felicity was sitting in her apartment watching the latest Liam Neeson movie that Ronnie had insisted on watching when there was a soft knock at the door. She slid out from underneath Ronnie's arm and got off of the couch, walking over to the door. "Want me to pause it, babe?" Ronnie asked, his eyes glued to the TV.

"No, that's fine, you keep watching," she told him, leaving out the part where she hoped the movie was over by the time she got back. She pulled the door open, her mind going blank when she found Oliver on the other side, a bottle of wine in one hand. She stood there with the door wide open, gaping at him.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

"Who is it?" Ronnie called out, eyes still focused on the blaring TV.

"It's Oliver, I'm going to step outside, I'll be back." She didn't miss the flash of irritation in Oliver's eyes when Ronnie spoke and she didn't miss how Ronnie finally pulled his eyes away from the screen when she said Oliver's name. She didn't give him a chance to say anything, gesturing for Oliver to move back so she could move outside and shut the door behind her. "What are you doing here?" The words came out harsher than she wanted them to and she sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "What's going on?"

He shuffled his feet, looking down at the wooden slats of her front porch, running his free hand through his short hair. He looked down at the bottle of wine and held it up. "Tommy told me he owed you a bottle of wine and I wanted to come congratulate you in person, so I told him I would bring you the wine. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

She shook her head so quickly the end of her ponytail hit her in the face. "No, it's fine. Thank you for bringing the wine, I forgot all about it. I helped him with the servers at Verdant like a month ago." Once the words came out of her, she remembered the two of them standing in this very spot a month ago, and the very vivid memory of when she thought he was going to kiss her rose up in her mind.

He handed the wine to her and she took it, cradling it in her arm. "Anyways, I just wanted to congratulate you on the job and make sure that you know that I had nothing to do with it."

She grinned, pleasantly surprised that he'd followed her thought process. "I know. Mr. Martin was pretty clear that he was my biggest champion. Thank you, though, I'm really excited."

They stood there quiet, staring at each other for much longer than was appropriate. It was Oliver that ended up breaking eye contact, taking a step back from her even though they hadn't been standing that close. "I better get going but I'll see you in the morning."

She nodded and watched him walk down the path, climbing into the car, just like she had a month ago. She'd been thinking that maybe she'd made the wrong decision and had considered telling Oliver exactly that but she was happy she hadn't. That would have complicated this new job or maybe it wouldn't have happened at all. All in all, for the sake of her career, she was happy with the way things worked out between them. They could be friends and this could work. Though, it occurred to her as she went back inside and sat on the couch, letting Ronnie's arm fall over her shoulder, that this job might have something to do with Oliver's sudden declaration of friendship.

* * *

The next morning, after struggling all night to sleep, she'd gotten to work ridiculously early. So early, in fact, that she ended up sitting in her car in the parking lot trying to kill time. The plan had worked up until the point that someone rapped on the driver's side window, startling her and almost making her throw her coffee everywhere. She looked up to find Oliver smiling outside her car. Sheepishly, she rolled down her window. "You scared me."

"What are you doing?" He asked her, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"Uh, I was early and I didn't want to go inside yet." It just had to be Oliver that found her here, she thought to herself.

"How long have you been here?"

"Not very long." That was a definite lie. She'd been sitting here for at least half an hour, if not more.

"You ever plan on coming inside?" He teased.

"Well, I didn't want to show up before the boss and make him look bad," she retorted.

Oliver laughed loudly, the sound echoing off of the walls of the parking garage. "I don't need any help in that area."

"Mr. Queen, just the man I was looking for!" An obese and balding middle aged man yelled as he rushed up to Oliver. He stood there for a minute, trying to catch his breath before he started to talk. "I wanted to talk to you before you got absorbed in a project today. Can I walk you in?"

Oliver nodded before telling Felicity, "I'll see you in my office."

Felicity waited until his back was turned to roll the window up and let her head fall against the steering wheel. Unfortunately, she hit it too hard and it let out an obnoxious honk, and her head swiveled towards Oliver and the other man, seeing that they'd definitely heard it. She groaned loudly and slid down in her seat until she was out of sight. She was extra spastic this morning and she kept telling herself that it was due to the excitement over her new job but deep down she knew it was the nervous anticipation of working with Oliver that was doing this to her. She had to get it together, she had to remain unaffected, or at least act like she was unaffected.

She took a few minutes to gather herself and her things before finally getting out of the car and making her way inside the building. There were a couple people from the IT department waiting for the elevator in the main lobby and as she approached, they quickly stepped aside, giving her room. That was her first sign that they knew about her working in Applied Sciences. The second came when the two of them moved farther away to whisper among themselves, a muffled snort of laughter drifting her way. She rolled her eyes but didn't say anything, keeping her head held high and her back ramrod straight.

It paused when the elevator doors opened and the three of them plus another two that had wandered up piled into the unoccupied elevator. The forty-five second ride to the IT department was torturous, the two woman continuing their hushed conversation. She bit her lip so hard to stop herself from saying something that she thought she might have bloodied it. Finally, the elevator came to a stop, the doors opening, and the women brushed past her, one giggling softly as she did.

Felicity debated for a heartbeat before her hand flew out, stopping the doors before they could shut. "A little piece of advice for you," she called after them, making them stop in their tracks and turn around. "If you spent as much time doing your job as you did talking about people you don't even know, maybe you'd be the ones working in Applied Sciences." She stepped back, allowing the doors to close. She gave the two men left in the elevator an apologetic smile. "Sorry," she mumbled.

She hadn't meant to say anything, she'd expressly told herself she wouldn't, but she couldn't stand there and allow them to talk about her like they had any semblance of knowledge about her. It was like high school all over again and she hadn't let them get away with it then, she wasn't going to start now.

She was surprised to look up and find herself standing in front of Oliver's secretary, having no memory of getting off of the elevator. "Hello, I'm Felicity Smoak, I'm here to see Mr. Queen."

"He's expecting you, you can go right in," the small blonde told her brightly.

She thanked her and took a deep breath before pushing open the glass door and stepping inside Oliver's office. He was staring at the computer monitor, hand propped in his chin, his brow furrowed, looking like the epitome of deep in thought. She thought maybe she should make a noise, do something small to alert him to her presence without startling him. She was so caught up in trying to find a good way to enter that she didn't even notice him lean back in his chair, watching her with an amused expression.

"I see you found your way out of the car and to the doorway of my office," he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "One more step and you'll actually be in my office."

She blushed and pursed her lips, taking one dramatic step forward, allowing the door to close behind her, taking the air in the room with it. "You looked like you were in serious thought and I didn't want to disrupt you or scare you though I doubt that happens to you. You seem like the kind of person who normally can't be snuck up on unlike me who can't help but get distracted at every turn. It's funny how when it comes to computers, I'm laser focused, but the second you throw me out into the real world, that focus disappears. Something that this conversation can attest to," she finished sheepishly. "But I promise you that I will be fully focused on this project from here on out."

Oliver stood up, straightening out his baby blue tie and smoothing down his black suit jacket before he came out from behind his desk. "I have no doubt about your abilities, Felicity. I know you're a genius and there's nobody else I'd rather have on the project. Now come on, let's get going."

They walked into the large facility that would be the future home of Applied Sciences and Felicity was surprised to see more than a handful of people wandering around the mostly empty building.

"You're the one of last additions to the project but as you can see we haven't made that much progress. Most of our equipment is currently being shipped and there isn't much we can do until it gets here. What I need you to do first is to figure out what equipment you need to make this place a top of the line facility. Money isn't really an option but you'll still have to run everything by me before its finalized."

They approached a desk that seemed out of place in the middle of the room. Someone was standing at the desk, pouring over scattered sheets of paper, running a hand through his short brown hair. "This is Dr. Barry Allen, he's the lead scientist on the project."

At the sound of his name, Barry Allen whirled around, looking more than a little frazzled. "Mr. Queen, I'm glad you're here. There's been a miscommunication somewhere and the security system isn't online and they're saying it might take a week to get it running but there's a multi-million dollar shipment of equipment coming tomorrow and that's not even including the shipment of chemicals that are due the day after that. Chemicals that are highly dangerous with no place to securely store them." He hadn't even registered Felicity standing next to Oliver and she wondered how long he'd been here when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He looked pretty young and Felicity was curious to know if there was anyone over the age of thirty working on this project.

"Dr. Allen, this is Felicity Smoak, she'll be in charge of everything IT related," Oliver said, choosing to not acknowledge his panicked words just yet.

Barry's gaze swept over her but she could tell he had bigger concerns on his mind than meeting her. She stepped slightly past Oliver, making Barry focus on her. "What type of system is it?"

"I don't know, the guy is around here somewhere. Do you think you could fix it?" He asked, disbelief lacing his voice.

"There's nothing I can't do with a computer. Show me the way and I'll tell you if I can fix it before your delivery arrives," she told him as nonchalant as she could. The truth was that she was excited, it was a challenge with limited time.

For the first time, Barry really looked at her, his eyes reflecting a cautious hope. "Well, let's go then. What was your name again?"

"Felicity Smoak," she answered as they started walking, oblivious now to Oliver's presence.

He shook his head, fighting back a smile before shoving his hands in his pockets and following after them.

* * *

Later that night, Felicity was walking out of Applied Sciences, ready to go home and melt into her couch, when Oliver joined her outside the building. "So how was your first day?" He asked as he sidled up to her, slowing his pace to match hers.

"It was amazing." The words came out breathy and she flushed in embarrassment.

"I know Barry couldn't stop singing your praises after you fixed the security problem. I think he was minutes away from proposing."

She giggled and it was the most glorious thing Oliver had ever heard. "I only looked so good because you guys had an absolute idiot trying to set up a system that is one of the most high tech out there."

"I don't know, it only took you half an hour, I have a feeling most people couldn't do that."

She gave him a small smile as they made their way into the parking garage. "So did you just hang outside Applied Sciences to boost my ego?"

Oliver let out a short bark of laughter. "Who said I was hanging around outside? Maybe I wasn't waiting for you."

"You expect me to believe that your timing is that impeccable?"

"Okay, so maybe I did wait outside but I figured I should see how my friend's first day went."

"It was great," she reaffirmed.

Neither of them had anything else to talk about, leaving them to linger outside of her car silently, not wanting to part ways just yet. "So do you have big plans tonight to celebrate?" He asked, prolonging it.

"Yes, they involve my bathtub and a very large glass of wine."

"Is that how you celebrate everything?"

"No, it's how I relax after an exhausting day, good exhausting, but exhausting none the less." She left out that it was also how she coped after bad days or break-ups or sad days. There was something about a soothing bath and some red wine that fixed everything, at least for a little while.

A door creaked open and heels clicked against the pavement, someone else going home for the night, and it had the effect of popping the bubble that made them feel like the world had slowed around them, the same feeling they both had whenever they were near each other. "Is this job the reason you gave me the friend speech at the engagement party?"

She'd caught him off guard with the question and if she was honest, herself too. She hadn't planned on bringing that up until it was already coming out of her mouth. "No, I didn't. I meant what I said, Felicity, I want to be friends. I did want to make that clear before you found out you got the job but the job didn't change my feelings," he said in an even tone.

"It would have definitely complicated things if those dates had led to something." She had no clue why she said that or why she was still talking about this. Oliver wanted to be friends, he kept making that clear, but every time he said it, she compulsively wanted to bring up what could have been. "I'm glad we're friends. I know that it really doesn't make a difference to anyone here if we're friends or involved in a romantic way, they'll think whatever they want to think, but it makes a difference to me. I'm glad we're friends and I'm glad that we get the opportunity to work together and that it happened because of me, because of the work I did. So thanks for making it clear that I did," she finished lamely.

He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. She was seized by the urge to step forward and wrap her arms around his waist, to lay her head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat. The need startled her and she took a step back before she did something she would regret. Oliver's mouth turned down in a frown before he ran a hand up and down the back of his head, taking his own step back. "I better get going." He turned and started walking away, head bowed.

"Oliver," she called after him.

When he stopped and turned back to look at her, she realized that she had nothing to say, nothing that she wanted to say out loud. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded and started walking towards his car while Felicity opened the door of her mini-cooper and climbed into the driver's seat. As she drove home, she realized that she was going to have to make sure to keep space between her and Oliver, something she knew was going to be difficult now that they were working together and all the wedding stuff would begin in full in a month. This wasn't going to be easy but she had to stick to her guns. Nothing was going to happen.

* * *

The next two weeks flew by for Felicity, the project consuming all of her time even when she wasn't in the Applied Sciences building. For the most part, she loved it. She was surrounded by great minds and she was way past schedule on her progress, thriving in the environment. A part of her wanted to stall, give her more time before she had to return to the IT department, but she knew she couldn't do that. Of course, she'd still be on call if they needed anything technical but it wouldn't be the way it had for the last two weeks. Meaning, she wouldn't see Oliver everyday.

She'd done her best to avoid working closely with him but somehow she'd ended up turning into his pseudo assistant. She took his phone calls when he was too busy, she helped him think-tank things, she encouraged him when the day was getting long and he was losing faith in himself, she helped him make sure things were running smoothly, and it had ended up bringing them closer than ever.

Which was the exact opposite of what she wanted. So when she woke up that Friday morning, she was determined to say something, having laid awake in bed all night planning exactly what she would stay to him, and it left her in somewhat of a frustrated mood.

Unfortunately, the universe was against her this morning because the second that she walked through the door, Susanne Keaton, a scientist who worked with Barry, came rushing up to her. "Thank god you're here!" she exclaimed in her usual over-dramatic way. "They've been at since we got here at five this morning and I don't think either of them are backing off anytime soon. A couple of us have tried to go down there but nobody has gotten farther than the door and it's getting out of hand. We need you to fix this," the words rushed out of her so quickly she had to take a giant gulp of air to refill her lungs once she finished.

Felicity placed a hand on her shoulders, making her focus on Felicity. "What are you talking about, Sue?"

The mousy brunette pushed her glasses up and took a deep breath. "Dr. Allen and Mr. Queen are arguing in the lab."

Felicity rolled her eyes and swore under her breath. "I'll fix it, just continue doing what you're doing. I'll be back." She angrily stormed towards the far back of the facility, irritated that she had to start her day off by refereeing these two, two of the people who should be leading by example, not frightening the staff with their arguing. Though she wasn't particularly shocked, she'd known this was coming, it had become a matter of if, not when. She just wished there was someone else to take care of it since she was the IT specialist, not the male ego specialist.

The closer she got, the louder the voices got, and the quicker her pace became. When she rounded the corner and the big glass pane window of Barry's lab came into sight, she screeched to a halt, finding that things were much worse than she expected. Oliver's blue dress shirt was three-quarters of the way untucked and wrinkled, the black tie that he was wearing along with it when she left last night was long gone, and Barry's hair was standing on end, eyes red and bleary. She made herself get moving, throwing open the door, and making their voices clear as she stood and watched them in disbelief.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not going to work before you get it through that thick skull of yours?" Barry yelled as he paced the room, stopping every now and then to point an angry finger at Oliver, who was standing on the other side of one of four metals tables that were placed in the monochromatic room.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you have to make it work? This is the cornerstone of Applied Sciences, this is the reason I started this project, and it has to work!" Oliver bellowed back.

"You can't just will it into working! No matter how bad you want it, I'm telling you, as the scientist on this, that it's not going to work!"

"What the hell is going on in here?" she exclaimed loud enough to be heard over the cacophony of their voices. They both stopped yelling at each to turn and look at her with shock and confusion written on their faces. She took a few more steps into the room, raising an eyebrow at the scattered empty cans of energy drinks. "There are six scared scientists who have been hiding out there since five o'clock this morning because they had no idea how to come in here and stop you from tearing each other's throats out. You are both professionals so act like it!"

They both looked down at the floor, chagrined, but it didn't last long.

"Oliver seems to think that if he just wants something bad enough, it will miraculously happen, even if it's impossible," Barry told her snidely.

"Maybe it's impossible because of your defeatist attitude. Maybe if you tried instead of standing here telling me it can't be done, you'd find out that I'm right."

Barry snorted. "Right because god forbid the almighty Oliver Queen be wrong."

"Enough!" Felicity snapped. "Have either of you left this building since yesterday? Have you slept? Eaten?" They both fell quiet, choosing not to answer her obvious questions. "Did it ever occur to the two of you that maybe the reason that Barry thinks it isn't going to work and Oliver is being even more stubborn than usual is because you are both running on fumes and going stir crazy? And the amount of caffeine that you've consumed cannot be good for your health."

"Those cans are his," Oliver mumbled, effectively tattling on Barry.

Barry threw his hands out, making an offended noise. "Don't act like you haven't drank ten pots of coffee."

"It's official, I'm kicking you both out of this lab." They both erupted immediately and she whistled once, loud and sharp, to make them focus again. "Neither of you have taken a single day off in the last two weeks and it's time that someone made you. Get out of this lab and don't come back until Monday morning."

Barry frowned, forehead crinkled in thought, while Oliver chose to cross his arms against his muscled chest that was on display thanks to the extra buttons undone on his shirt and glower at her, taking one step forward. "This is my project, you can't force me to leave this lab."

She took a step closer to him, bringing her within inches of him. "If you don't leave, I quit, and you'll have to answer your own phones and get your own coffee and check your own schedule. So what's it going to be, Queen? Are you going to take a much needed seventy-two hour break and return with your sanity intact or am I going to have to quit this wonderful job I love?"

He stared at her for a long moment and she was starting to get scared that she was actually going to have to follow through on her bluff. In the end, he sighed, his shoulders slumping and he rubbed his weary eyes. "Okay, you're right. I do need a break and some sleep," he admitted.

"You could probably use a shower, too," she teased softly.

Barry shuffled past them, footsteps heavy with exhaustion. "Thanks, Felicity," he whispered as he passed.

Oliver sighed loudly as he gathered his things and followed after Barry, stopping at the doorway. "By the way, you've never brought me coffee."

"And I never will. Now go, I'll see you Monday, Oliver."

"Good night, Felicity," he said before walking away.

She shook her head, fully taking in the cluttered room. "It's eight in the morning," she grumbled to herself. She walked around one of the tables, bare except for a set of blue schematics. She paged through them, skimming the words, until she heard the door open again. "I thought I told both of you that I didn't want to see you until Monday."

"It's me, Miss Smoak," Sue said quietly behind her. "Thank you for doing that."

Felicity waved her apology off as she became more engrossed with the schematics. "Someone needed to do it. Do you know anything about these, Sue?"

Felicity looked up in time to see Sue shrug. "A little, it's been Dr. Allen doing most of it."

"Well, come help me out, I think Dr. Allen might be suffering from a bit of tunnel vision, nothing another pair of eyes can't help. What do you think? Do you have something important going on today?" She could afford to take a day off from her IT duties and these schematics were practically begging for her to give them her full attention.

"I have nothing the other scientists can't handle, Miss Smoak."

"Please, call me Felicity. Might as well if we're going to spend the day trying to figure out what those boys were doing wrong."

Sue smiled shyly and moved next to Felicity, picking up her own set of schematics.

* * *

It was almost ten that night when he strolled into Applied Sciences. He'd promised Felicity that he wouldn't come back until Monday morning but he was going stir crazy in the mansion. He hadn't expected anyone else to be here and he was surprised to see Felicity's red mini-cooper sitting in the parking garage. He'd looked through most of Applied Sciences and hadn't found her yet but he knew she was here. He approached the server room, seeing a small amount of light escaping through the partially ajar door, and slowly pushed it the rest of the way open, doing his best to not startle her.

What he found was Felicity slumped over a desk, her breathing easy and peaceful, the quietest snores escaping her. He leaned against the door and watched her sleep for a moment, enjoying the rare look at a quiet and still Felicity. These last couple of weeks had been some of the best, working closely with her, not needing any excuses to see her, and he didn't want this to end. The bright side was that maybe once this project was over and Applied Sciences was up and running, they could give this a real go. If she wanted to, that is, which didn't seem likely since she was the one who put a stop to it in the first place and from what he heard, she was still seeing Ronnie. But maybe he'd give it one more shot before he gave up for good. He'd never felt this way before and he didn't even know how to describe it. She was all he'd thought about since he'd met her in Verdant that night, even managing to haunt his dreams, and he needed to get a grip on himself before he did something stupid.

The thing was that he'd seen the same conflicted feeling in Felicity's eyes that he knew was reflected in his, giving him more hope than he should have. She lit a fire in him and he could feel it consuming him, he wasn't sure if he cared. He wanted to know everything about her, he wanted to share in her day, he wanted to comfort her when she needed it, and he wanted to wake up to her, her blonde hair scattered over the pillows as the sun cast a glow on her skin. He had it bad and it was both exhilarating and terrifying. He knew that she was what he wanted, he just needed her to come around to the idea, to see what he saw, to see how great they could be together. It would only work if he allowed her to come to the realization herself, if she could forget all the reasons why it wouldn't work.

He sighed softly, knowing it was time to wake her up and get her out of here. He knocked lightly on the door, having to do it louder after she didn't flinch the first time around. She popped straight up and a piece of paper comically stuck to her right cheek, leaving an imprint behind when she ripped it off of her face. She wiped the drool away from her mouth and her sleep heavy eyes widened when it registered that he was the one who woke her up. "I thought I told you to stay out of here until Monday," she grumbled before yawning.

"Says the person passed out in the server room."

"What time is it?" She asked as she reached for her cell phone.

"A little after ten, I was just stopping by to make sure everything was in order before I abandoned it for the weekend."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "You're not abandoning it, you're taking a break, something you can't do while you're standing in here." She grabbed her purse from under the desk, tossing her phone in it as she got to her feet.

"What are you still doing here anyways?"

"I wanted to finish some stuff before the weekend and I fell asleep, I was going to leave a couple hours ago."

He continued to lean in the doorway, blocking her path. "How did things go today?"

"After I diffused World War III? It went great."

"I'm sorry about this morning, it was completely unprofessional."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she told him pointedly.

"And I'll apologize to Barry first thing Monday morning."

"Good because you need him and you need to start being nicer to him."

He clenched his jaw and looked away from her. "I'm nice to the kid."

"No, you boss him around, there's a difference."

"That's my job."

"You're job is to make sure things run smoothly and according to plan, not to berate and terrify your staff."

"I do not berate them," he said defensively.

"Maybe not all of them," she conceded. "But definitely Barry. You treat him like he's a dumb kid when he's the best scientist you have here, he's your biggest asset and you need to start treating him with some respect."

"What do I have to do to get you to defend me like that?" He muttered, unhappy with this conversation.

"Oliver, I'm just trying to make you realize that they're intimidated by you and the way you treat Barry doesn't help."

He slumped against the doorway. "I'm intimidating?"

She softened at his tone. "Don't you notice that everyone already treats you like you're already CEO? And the amount of pressure you've put on everyone to get this right has their nerves on edge, I think that you should tone the intensity down a bit."

He pushed off the doorway and towered over her small frame. "Do you think I'm intimidating?" He whispered.

"Not in the same way they do," she murmured as she stared up at him. "I think that you feel like you're still that playboy who shirked responsibility and that no one could take seriously. What you're failing to see, what everybody else sees, is that you're not remotely like that anymore. I know you're the first person to say that you're a changed man but I don't think you believe it, I don't think you believe that these people respect you and value the opinions you bring to the table." She figured she should distract him with compliments before one of them took that last step forward and did something they shouldn't do.

"That might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," he said quietly, something she'd never seen before flashed in his eyes before it was gone and she realized her distraction technique had only served to bring them closer.

"I should tell you something else, even though it'll only expand your large ego," she said, ignoring the nearly imperceptible tremble in her voice.

He chuckled and she felt his breath on her face, telling her that she needed to step back from him but she couldn't bring herself to do it. "First you tell me that I don't see myself the way others do and then the next second, you're telling me that my ego is too big."

"You're right, I should have knocked you down a few pegs before I told you that you were right this morning with Barry."

His brow furrowed in confusion but he didn't say anything, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Sue and I, or well, Dr. Keaton and I took a look at the schematics this morning after I chased you out of here and we figured out what Barry was missing to get it working. I didn't do anything with it myself but I left him detailed notes that he can go over on Monday. I know I probably should have minded my own business, since I'm not a scientist and that looked like it was top secret government stuff but sometimes all it takes is some fresh eyes to see what you can't when you've poring over it for days."

He was regarding her with admiration and appreciation and it stole her breath away. "Thank you, Felicity."

"I'm sure Barry would have figured it out he got back," she stuttered.

"You're remarkable," he told her sincerely.

"Thank you for remarking on it," she managed to squeeze out of her air-deprived lungs. She wanted to reach up and kiss him, the feeling hitting her so abruptly she actually gasped. Oliver noticed and his head started to tilt downwards and she knew that she would be done for if his lips touched hers, there would be no going back.

Her phone began to vibrate in her clenched fist and it effectively snapped the moment, both of them stepping away from each other, trying to subtlety catch their respective breath. "It's Ronnie, I have to take this, I was supposed to call him an hour ago," she told him after glancing at the caller ID.

"Of course," he said as he stepped aside to give her room to walk past. "I'll see you Monday, Felicity."

"Good night, Oliver," she said after a brief hesitation. She avoided his gaze as she swept past him, answering her phone. "Sorry, I fell asleep here," she said into the phone before her voice faded out.

Oliver tossed his head back, taking a deep breath as he rubbed his hands against his face. Suddenly, his phone starting ringing and he pulled it out of his pocket, seeing that it was Tommy. "What's up?" He answered.

"Pry yourself away from work and get down to Verdant now," Tommy's muffled voice rang out from the tiny phone speaker, struggling to be heard over the loud club music.

"I was about to go home, Tommy, is it important?"

Tommy sighed dramatically. "McKenna Hall is here and she was asking about you. She also happened to mention that she has a rare night off tomorrow and I think it's the perfect way for you to move on from Felicity," he told him bluntly.

"I don't need to get over Felicity."

"Whatever you say, man, but you can't deny that you've been distracted for the last two months. You need a break and McKenna's the perfect girl for that. Trust me, have I ever let you down?"

He ignored that and considered what Tommy was saying. Maybe he had a point, he'd been wrapped up in Felicity and that wasn't going anywhere. She was still with Ronnie and she was still serious about her career, nothing had changed between them. With the exception of a couple charged moments between the two of them, they were exactly what he said they were. Friends. Maybe it really was time for him to move on. "Fine. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

* * *

The next night, Felicity arrived at Maddigan's, a nice upscale restaurant that was close to QC, and made her way to the hostess. She'd barely seen Ronnie the last week and after falling asleep at work yesterday, she knew that she had to make it up to him, so when he'd asked her to have dinner with him, she'd accepted. The truth was that she was feeling guilty about all the time she was spending with Oliver and she needed to do something to appease that feeling. That was also why she was ten minutes early for their date, insisting on driving herself. "Hi, I'm a little early and meeting someone here, reservation should be under Ronnie Raymond."

The hostess smiled brightly and grabbed a menu. "Your table is right over here." They rounded the corner and the hostess gestures towards her table, waiting for her to take a seat.

"Felicity?" Oliver's voice rang out from next to her.

Wide-eyed, she slowly revolved, finding Oliver seated at the table directly next to hers. He stood up and straightened his suit out, pulling her chair out for her. She thanked him softly and sat down, self-consciously playing with the ends of her loosely curled hair. "What are you doing here?" She asked once the hostess left them.

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably, eyes locked on the table. "I'm on a date."

"Me too, I'm waiting for Ronnie." They sat there in silence for a minute, each unsure of how to handle the situation.

"This is weird," Felicity said.

"I wasn't expecting this," Oliver said at the same time.

They shared an awkward laugh but before they could say anything else, Ronnie strode into the restaurant, leaning down to give Felicity a quick kiss before taking his seat, failing to notice Oliver. "And here I thought I was going to be the early one." It was that moment that his eyes drifted over Oliver. "Queen," he stated, irritation and disappointment ringing out through his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on a date and here she is," he said, standing up to greet a long-legged exotic looking woman that immediately managed to make Felicity feel frumpy. Oliver gave her a peck on the cheek before taking a seat.

"Sorry, I'm late, I had to go into the station and finish some paperwork, it took longer than I thought," she said, smiling at Oliver as she adjusted her tight blue dress that had ridden up slightly when she sat down.

"Uh, McKenna, this is Felicity Smoak and her date, Ronnie Raymond. Felicity and I work together."

"I'm her boyfriend and we're on a date," Ronnie unnecessarily clarified.

"Oh, I didn't realize this was a double date," McKenna said.

"It's not," Ronnie interjected.

"This is complete coincidence. I guess we have similar tastes," Felicity said.

Ronnie mumbled something under his breath and Felicity gave him a sharp look, silently telling him to behave.

"Why don't we push the tables together then?" McKenna offered with a graceful shrug of her shoulders.

Felicity tried to hide her uneasiness but she guessed she hid it about as well as Ronnie was hiding his irritation, which wasn't well. Felicity shrugged, unable to make it look as good as McKenna did. "I don't see why not." It was Ronnie's turn to give her an incredulous look which led her to shrug her shoulders again.

McKenna had already waved a waiter down. "Is it okay if we push these tables together?"

Once the waiter gave the okay, promising to be back soon to take their orders, all four of them got out of their chairs, carefully pushing the tables together. They took their seats, Ronnie and Felicity on one side with McKenna and Oliver on the other. Somehow, Felicity and Oliver had ended up across from each other, reminding both of them of their failed date. Oliver, Felicity, and Ronnie turned their focuses to their menus, doing their best to pretend that it wasn't awkward but it didn't escape McKenna's notice that something was bubbling underneath the surface.

"So how do you guys know each other? Work?" McKenna asked, trying to alleviate the tension.

"Actually, we have mutual friends. I went to college with Nyssa and her girlfriend, Sara, is the younger sister of Oliver's best friend's fiancée." It sounded complicated when she said it like that.

"I take it you're talking about Laurel and Tommy?" McKenna asked, continuing once Felicity and Oliver nodded. "I saw little Lance bartending at Verdant last night, met her girlfriend, too."

Felicity choked on a mouthful of wine. "Nyssa was at Verdant last night?"

"She stopped by to visit Sara," Oliver told her. "She was there for less than an hour."

"That's the Nyssa I know," Felicity remarked.

Ronnie cleared his throat. "How did you two meet?" He asked Oliver and McKenna as his arm came around to rest against her chair, brushing against her bare shoulders but she barely noticed, caught up with watching Oliver's eyes following Ronnie's hand as it caressed light circles on Felicity's shoulder.

"We've known each other since high school and we ran into each other last night. I don't get much time off so I don't get out much."

Oliver must have gone straight to Verdant last night after she'd left. At least he was listening to her and taking some time for himself, not that she'd meant he should take the first pretty girl he saw on a date but whatever made him happy. She'd keep telling herself that to drown out the pointless jealousy roaring through her veins.

"What do you do?" Ronnie asked McKenna.

"I'm a detective with the SCPD, it doesn't leave me with a lot of free time."

The conversation paused for a minute as the waitress stopped at their table to take their orders. More than once during the brief interval, her and Oliver's eyes found each other, lingering longer than was appropriate. Thankfully, nobody else at the table noticed or if they did, they chose to not say anything. The waitress left and conversation resumed normally, no mention of longing glances or inappropriate behavior.

"What do you do, Ronnie?" McKenna asked.

"I work at KORD enterprises. It's how I met Felicity actually, I work with Nyssa who insisted on introducing us to each other." Ronnie smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her temple and Felicity couldn't shake the feeling he was only doing it to rile Oliver up. "We've been together a month and half or so. I'm just lucky I was one of the first people to meet her outside of her friend group after she moved to the city." He said the words sweetly but there was an edge to them, one she was guessing was directed towards Oliver. Could this dinner get any worse?

Just as she thought that, she moved her leg, accidentally brushing against the inside of Oliver's leg. She nearly jumped out of her seat but somehow kept her face calm as she pulled her leg back, readjusting herself in the chair so her limbs were nowhere near Oliver's. She felt her face heat up and she avoided looking at Oliver, afraid of what she might see.

"Where are you from originally, Felicity?" McKenna asked.

Felicity cleared her throat, hoping her voice didn't reveal how frayed her nerves were. "Vegas originally but I left four years ago to go to MIT. After graduation, it was Starling or Gotham, and I ended up here."

"MIT, that's impressive," McKenna said after a low whistle.

"I just know my way around a computer, it's more impressive that you're a detective," Felicity said, deflecting the compliment.

"Trust me, it sounds a lot more glamorous than it really is."

"If you would have asked me in high school, I never would have guessed that you'd become a cop," Oliver said.

"You and me both but I got all my rebellion out when I was a teenager, as I'm sure you remember," McKenna said.

As her and Oliver continued to playfully flirt, Ronnie turned in his chair towards her. "I didn't know that Wayne Enterprises offered you a job."

"Well, they never technically got around to offering me a job, they called to set up an interview but I'd already decided to join QC," she told him quietly.

"Yeah but they didn't call just anybody for interviews. I never heard from them and I'm one of the best IT specialists at KORD." Ronnie said petulantly. "I know that if Bruce Wayne offered me a job, I'd take it in a heartbeat."

"Bruce Wayne never offered me a job and I like QC and Starling City," she said defensively.

"I'm personally glad that she chose QC, she's indispensable to the company," Oliver told him tightly through clenched teeth.

Now there was an awkward and tense air that hung over the tables, McKenna finally picking up on the fact that not everything here was as it seemed. "I'm happy to hear that. It's good to know that the _company_ appreciates her so much, since she's there all the time. Hell, she even fell asleep there last night she's so dedicated to her _job_."

"Ronnie," she warned. She was shocked at the anger in his voice and she was starting to wilt under McKenna's intense gaze.

Oliver leaned back in his chair. "If you have something to say, Raymond, just say it."

"What is going on here?" McKenna snapped.

Felicity was about to say that they should leave when the waiter arrived with the food and McKenna's phone began to ring.

"Hall," she answered. "I'm not that far from the station, I'll be there in five." She disconnected the call, swinging her purse over her shoulder. "I have to go. It was...nice to meet you."

"McKenna," Oliver said wearily.

"Goodbye, Oliver." She stalked out of the restaurant without so much as a glance back while the waiter lingered around their table, unsure of what to do.

"I don't think we're going to be needing that," Felicity reluctantly told the waiter.

Ronnie stood up abruptly, almost bumping his chair into the woman sitting behind him. "You ready to go to your place?" he asked her but his eyes were locked on Oliver.

"I don't know if I want to be near you right now, Ronnie. You're acting like an idiot."

Oliver shook his head and got to his feet. "I better get out of your way." He left the table, not giving Felicity a passing glance.

"You do realize that he's my boss, right? If you had a problem with him, you could have told me about it in private instead of ruining his date."

"Of course you'd stand up for him."

"What is going on with you?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

"What's going on with you and Oliver? And don't say nothing because I've watched the two of you, both of you stare at each other when you're not already busy looking at each other. It would be sickening even if you weren't my girlfriend."

"We went on two dates, two dates that did not go well and I don't feel that way about Oliver, I told you we're just friends. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Keep telling yourself that," he scoffed before he followed Oliver out the door, leaving Felicity sitting at the suddenly empty tables.

She waited a minute before swallowing her humiliation and walking out of the restaurant, her head held high. Surprisingly, Oliver was standing outside the restaurant, leaning against a light post. She didn't understand how he made simply leaning against an object so unbelievably sexy but those thoughts were completely inappropriate, especially given the disaster that was tonight.

"I saw Ronnie leave without you so I decided to wait so I could apologize to you," Oliver said once he saw her, pushing off of the light post and walking over to her.

"Looks to me like we can't be in the same restaurant without something horrible happening, even if we're on dates with other people."

"You might be onto something there."

"Look, I'm sorry that Ronnie acted like that. I didn't realize that he had a problem with you, not that he should have a problem with you, I don't even know what his problem is." She almost said she didn't know why she was still dating him. She knew it wasn't going anywhere and she wasn't the type of girl who needed to be in a relationship, especially if it was the wrong one, simply because she couldn't handle being along, but saying that would have been giving too much away. There were bigger reasons than Ronnie and her job that were keeping her from taking that step with Oliver, reasons she was only beginning to understand, and she had to keep those to herself.

"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing, I shouldn't have antagonized him. To be honest, I probably shouldn't have let McKenna push the tables together to begin with." It seemed like he wanted to say more but he didn't, keeping things close to the chest just like her. Maybe that was why the air felt heavy whenever they were near each other, buckling under the weight of all things unsaid.

"We're date kryptonite, plain and simple," she stated matter-of-factly, drawing a small smile out of Oliver.

"That must be it."

"Good night, Oliver." For some reason, she reached out and gently squeezed his arm before turning away from him.

"Good night, Felicity," he murmured as she walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN- 5 more days until 3x20! Enjoy!**

Chapter Five

Felicity leaned forward, sticking her head between the driver and passenger seats. "How much longer is this drive?"

Nyssa smiled at her in the rear-view mirror. "About twenty more minutes."

"Why are you so impatient today?" Sara asked half-asleep from the front.

Felicity sighed dramatically and fell back against the seat. "I'm not impatient but we left Starling at 6 a.m. and it's almost 8. I need another cup of coffee."

"I thought Sara was going to be the dramatic one this morning," Nyssa teased.

What Felicity wasn't telling them was that this trip was making her incredibly anxious. Laurel had decided that since the wedding was destination she wanted to do the same thing on a smaller scale with just the wedding party, a sort of joint bachelor/bachelorette getaway. They were going to spend a weekend in luxury cabins that were complete with their own stretch of beach and lake access and it meant that Felicity would have to spend the weekend with Oliver and whoever he brought with him.

She'd made up with Ronnie after their fight at the restaurant two weeks ago but she didn't invite him for this weekend, not wanting to deal with his sour feelings towards Oliver. She wasn't going to ruin Laurel and Tommy's weekend because Ronnie was jealous, it just meant that she had to do this weekend solo while literally everybody else was there with their significant other.

"So who's going to be there this weekend?" She asked even though she only wanted to know if Oliver was bringing McKenna. He hadn't mentioned her since the disaster at the restaurant but they'd both made a point since then to keep some distance between each other, keeping their work conversations strictly about work.

"Laurel and Tommy are already there, they went yesterday after Laurel got off of work," Sara told her, sounding more awake than she had moments ago. "And I think Tommy and Oliver's friend, John Diggle, and his wife should be there already. And then Thea and her boyfriend should be getting there about the same time as us."

Felicity waited for her to continue but Sara leaned back in her seat, looking like she was going to take a nap. Felicity bit her lip, trying to stop herself from asking about him specifically, but the curiosity was killing her. "Isn't Oliver coming?" She tried to make it sound like she wasn't concerned but she couldn't hide anything from these women.

Sara flew up in her seat, pointing an accusatory finger at Felicity. "Ha! I knew you couldn't resist."

Felicity glowered at her. "Are you telling me that you purposefully left him off of your list to see if I'd ask about him?"

"Yes because I know you, Felicity, and I know you're all wrapped up in Oliver Queen, whether you want to admit it or not."

"Okay for one, it's way too early for this conversation and second, I am not all wrapped up in Oliver."

"Keep practicing it and maybe everyone will believe you," Sara said.

"Look, it's not like that. We work together and we're friends. I asked because I thought it was weird that the best man wouldn't be coming this weekend. If you think there's something going on between us, then when we get back to Starling City, you and Ronnie can sit and share your conspiracy theories," she bit out harshly.

"Alright, I'll back off," Sara pouted.

"No, I'm sorry. This whole thing has me a little on edge." She hadn't told Ronnie that Oliver would be here this weekend and he hadn't asked but they both knew they were dodging the conversation.

"Things between you and Ronnie not going well?" Nyssa asked.

Felicity pushed her glasses up and rubbed her eyes. "I don't know, I wanted something that wasn't serious, that was casual and uncomplicated, and this thing with Ronnie is becoming the exact opposite of that."

"How have things been since your accidental double date?"

"Weird," she admitted. "We've only seen each other a couple of times since then because I've been so busy with work."

"He told me that you didn't invite him this weekend, just told him that you would be out of town," Nyssa informed her.

"He talks to you about me?" She should have known that but it still made her uncomfortable.

"We work together, Felicity. So why didn't you invite him?"

Felicity snorted. "And if I had, we would have fought all weekend or he would have fought with Oliver or he would have been an asshole."

"Why don't you break up with him then?" Sara asked.

"I think I'm going to but I don't know. I want to but I don't want to at the same time."

"That's because you know once you're single, you're going to have to come up with a real reason why you can't be with Oliver," Nyssa rightly observed.

"That's not why," she lied. "Besides, isn't Oliver with McKenna?"

"Nope. They haven't seen each other since their date, he's coming alone this weekend," Sara said, making Felicity's heart skip a beat. They were going to be the only two single people in the group, not that she was technically single but either way, there was no one else here to distract her from him.

"You know that I'm not team Oliver here but I think that you should break up with Ronnie. If your feelings aren't real, you shouldn't lead him on, and as far as Oliver's concerned, I think you need to admit the real reason you can't be with him," Nyssa told her knowingly.

"You know why I can't be with him," Felicity whispered. She hadn't expressly told them why but they knew her better than anyone else. She wouldn't be surprised if they knew before she did.

Sara turned around in her seat, reaching into the back to grasp Felicity's hand. "You're not your mom, Felicity, and you're not going to turn into her."

She smiled. "Thanks, Sara, but I don't believe that."

"I think-" Nyssa started to say before Felicity cut her off.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," she told them, leaving no room for argument.

They spent the last ten minutes of the drive making idle chit-chat, avoiding any topic concerning Felicity's love life and her mother. When they finally pulled up to the cabin, parking between Tommy's Lexus and a large black SUV that she didn't recognize, Felicity was desperate for a cup of coffee, cursing at herself for sleeping through the one pit stop Nyssa had made.

At the sound of a car door closing, Laurel walked out of the cabin, a giant grin on her face as she dashed up to the women, giving all three of them crushing hugs. "I'm so glad you're here. Leave your bags for now, come inside and have some coffee."

Felicity perked up at the mention of coffee, much to everyone's delight. "You heard the woman, there's coffee inside, stop wasting time," she said after no one moved for longer than she liked. The three other women laughed loudly as they made their way up the wooden stairs and into the large cabin.

"This is mine and Tommy's cabin and it's a little bigger than the rest of them but they're still nice. Tommy has maps with your cabins marked on it, they're all right in a row to the left of this one. And there's no cell service or WiFi, so if you need to make a call or anything, you'll have to go back to the main cabin that you passed about a mile back," she told them as they moved into the large and open kitchen where Tommy and two other people Felicity didn't recognize were seated around a large dining table.

"John, Lyla, you know my sister, Sara, but I don't know if you've ever met her girlfriend, Nyssa, or their friend Felicity. This is John and Lyla Diggle."

They stood up and everyone busied themselves with introductions while Felicity stared down the coffee pot that was teasing her nose. John came over to her, blocking her view as he shook her hand and gave her s knowing smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Felicity. I've heard a lot about you."

Lyla elbowed her husband in the side. "Don't worry, they were all good things. I'm Lyla," she said as she shook Felicity's hand. "I feel like I should apologize to you for my bad timing a couple of months ago."

Felicity frowned at her, confused as to why she would need to apologize, before it clicked. "You're the friends that had their baby during my first date with Oliver!" She exclaimed before a blush creeped into her cheeks. Way to stay calm and collected, she thought to herself. "You don't have to apologize but your baby on the other hand," she joked. "I'm kidding, congratulations by the way."

Lyla beamed and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, opening her pictures and sidling up next to Felicity while she scrolled through, showing her pictures of a chubby and happy baby. "She's adorable," Felicity cooed.

John wrapped his arm around Lyla's. "Honey, I know you miss her but I don't think Felicity wants to be assaulted by baby pictures as soon as she walks through the door."

"He's right, I'm sorry. She's staying with my parents this weekend and last night was my first night without her."

"It's fine, she's gorgeous. You can show me as many pictures as you want," Felicity assured her.

Sara cut between them, shoving a steaming mug of coffee into Felicity's hand. "So you're the ones responsible for this mess?"

Felicity kicked the back of her shoe, warning her, but John and Lyla were chuckling. "Yes, it's our fault," John said.

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'm putting a stop to this before you guys get going. I've already had to listen to Sara go on and on about me and Oliver. We're friends, that's that."

"Speaking of Oliver, he just pulled up with Thea and Roy," Tommy told them as he looked out the window. Tommy went outside to greet them and Felicity took his chair.

A petite brunette and her boyfriend, who looked like he could be an Abercrombie and Fitch model, said their hellos to Tommy before Oliver got out of the car and joined them. He looked more casual than she'd ever seen him, dressed in dark jeans that fit him perfectly and a hunter green cotton t-shirt, and her heart did a little flip as he hugged Tommy, slapping him on the back.

"Stare a little harder, why don't you?" Sara teased, keeping her voice quiet enough that no one else in the packed kitchen heard her.

"Are you going to be like this all weekend?"

Sara shrugged. "Depends. Are you going to look like a love sick puppy all weekend?"

"I do not look like a love sick puppy," Felicity grumbled, offended.

"He does," Sara pointed out as Oliver caught sight of her in the window.

She gave him a half-hearted wave and smile while he did the same. "Alright, people, let's move this outside. We can't fit everyone in here," Laurel said before going outside.

Reluctantly, Felicity stood back up, taking her half-empty cup of coffee with her, following Sara outside. Everyone swarmed Thea and Roy while Felicity hung back, standing at the bottom of the stairs, enjoying her coffee while she watched everyone catch up. She'd never met Thea, she's seen her briefly at the engagement party but they'd never officially met. She had to admit that it was a little daunting meeting the baby sister of the man she was currently...intrigued by, for lack of better and less frightening word. Speaking of which (or actually thinking of), Oliver subtlety pulled away from the group and started to walk over to her.

"Hey," he greeted softly, sending chills up her spine with that one simple word.

"Hi," she responded, happy that her voice sounded even and calm.

"Ronnie here?" He asked, looking behind her as if he expected Ronnie to pop up.

"No, he stayed in Starling City. I didn't want any trouble this weekend." She hadn't meant to tell him that and she cringed as his face fell.

"Oh," he murmured. "You didn't have to do that. You should have told me and I would have..." He trailed off.

"You would have stayed home and missed the festivities? You're the best man, Oliver, you have to be here. You have a right to be here without worrying about somebody who isn't friends with either the bride or the groom making you uncomfortable. I'm not saying that Ronnie makes you uncomfortable but he acted like an ass the other night and he ruined your date-"

"Fe-lic-ity," he strung the syllables of her name out, stopping her mid-sentence. Though, it didn't help that his hand was resting against her shoulder, hot against her skin through the thin cotton material of her t-shirt. "You don't have to apologize for him. That date shouldn't have happened in the first place and to be honest, I had it coming. If I were in Ronnie's position, I'd do the same thing. It's okay, really."

She frowned, shielding her eyes from the sun that was blinding her. "What do you mean if you were in Ronnie's position?"

Instead of answering, he smirked and turned away from her. She narrowed her eyes at him before doing the same, finding that the entire group was watching them with varying expressions of interest. Smartly, they all went back to their conversations once they saw that Oliver and Felicity had noticed them watching. All except for Thea, who hadn't taken her eyes off of the two of them and had now stepped away from the group making her way over to them.

"You must be Felicity, right? The other bridesmaid?"

"That would be me."

Thea gave her an appraising look, giving nothing away, until she lunged forward, surprising Felicity with a quick and tight hug. She backed away from Felicity, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. "Sorry, I'm a hugger. I'm excited to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you, mostly from Sara and Tommy. My brother hasn't told me anything and I'm starting to wonder why." That part was directed at Oliver."

"We're just friends and he's my boss at QC and we haven't known each other that long so it makes sense that he wouldn't mention me. Just to clarify, in case you thought there was something between us because there isn't." She didn't know why she felt the need to always defend and explain her relationship with Oliver. Okay, so maybe it was because she was working so hard to defend and explain it to herself that it bubbled up in conversation.

Thea laughed, shaking her head, her short and flattering haircut moving along with her. "I like you. I don't believe you but I like you."

Felicity gaped at her as Oliver fought back a laugh, covering it with a cough. "Don't blame this on me," Oliver said. "You don't call, you don't text, you don't visit."

"I come to Starling City at least one weekend every month. You're the responsible one with the job that keeps you busy all the time. I've been home for the last month and a half and I've barely seen you, something that makes more sense now that I've seen Felicity," she shot back lightly, winking at Felicity.

"Says the one who spends all of her time with her boyfriend."

"What can I say? I'm young and in love," she said it jokingly but as she looked over her shoulder towards Roy, it was clear that she was seriously in love with him.

"Alright, people, let's get this show on the road. I have maps that have your cabin marked down on them, everybody go and take half an hour to get settled and then meet back here. There's a fishing guide who's going to be here in forty-five minutes to take us out fishing so all of those who'd like to go, don't be late. And whoever doesn't want to fish, my gorgeous fiancee has a lovely day planned out involving lots of sunbathing, swimming, and day drinking, so go put your stuff away and we'll back here and officially kicked off this weekend," Tommy announced, handing out maps that he'd picked up at some point.

"This is totally Laurel's doing, isn't it?" Sara remarked as she studied the photocopied map that actually had everyone's name written above the cabin they were staying in.

"Tommy did all of this himself," Laurel told everyone proudly.

"After some helpful suggestions on her part, I'm guessing," Oliver whispered so only Thea and Felicity heard.

Felicity shook her head using her map to cover her smile. There were ten cabins down the path, six of them occupied by their group, including the larger cabin occupied by Tommy and Laurel. Hers was second to last and Oliver's was last, Nyssa and Sara on the other side of her.

She made her way over to the Nyssa's car, grabbing her one suitcase out of the trunk and her purse from the back seat, and started down the tree-covered path, getting a head start on everybody else, most of them busy still teasing Tommy and Laurel about the maps.

The trees were lush and green, allowing just enough sun through to beam down on the path, warm on her neck that was bare, her hair piled on top of her head in a messy topknot. She was about halfway down the path when Oliver came jogging up to her, taking the handle of her suitcase out of her hand, and the skin to skin contact once again left her feeling flustered. These little gestures were picking up in frequency, or at least they had been until that stupid dinner. They'd touched each other more times today than in the last two weeks combined, not that that was a good thing, it was just something she'd noticed and hadn't stopped, guilty of it herself.

"I saw that my cabin's next to yours," he said after she hadn't said anything since he'd taken the suitcase. "Figured we could walk together, if that's okay."

"Yeah," she said a little too casually, failing to keep her cool, per usual. "I saw that, too. They made sure to keep the single people in the far back," she joked.

"That's my fault, actually. They knew I wasn't going to be coming with anyone and that's the smaller cabin so I got shoved to the end."

"Why didn't you? Come with anyone?"

He shrugged and she could see that he was uncomfortable with the question. She was about to tell him that he didn't have to answer when he started to speak. "There's no one I wanted to come with." There was a time not long ago that he would have brought any girl that wanted to come with him so that he wouldn't be the only single one surrounded by couples but things were different now. There was only one woman that he wanted to be here with and even though she was here, she wasn't with him. He was okay with that but he wasn't going to fool himself into thinking that he could even feign interest in someone else, he knew that he didn't want anyone but Felicity. That had become clear during his disastrous date with McKenna and he wouldn't make the same mistake again. Maybe he would never get a chance to be with Felicity but he had to be honest with himself about these feelings and hope that they faded away with time, though he doubted that was possible. They only seemed to grow the more time he spent with her and even though he'd done his best to maintain his distance for the last two weeks, out of respect to her relationship with Ronnie, these feelings were more intense than they'd ever been.

"Are you going to go fishing?" He asked her, trying to distract himself from his own thoughts.

"No, sunbathing and day-drinking sound way more like my kind of thing. After spending so much time in a lab or an office building, I'm ready to enjoy the sunlight."

"You know that you can tan and drink in the boat while you fish," he said, nudging her playfully with his elbow.

She thought for a minute until an idea lit up her face. "I also get seasick, violently seasick. Do you really want to spend the day on a boat with me while I vomit over the side?"

He almost said that he'd want to spend the day with her no matter what condition she was in. Almost. "I guess I can let you off the hook this time."

"Was that a fishing pun?"

"Not an intentional one."

She laughed softly and stopped walking, pointing towards the small and rustic looking cabin off to the right of the path. "This is me."

He handed the suitcase back to her, readjusting his own duffel bag that was hanging on his shoulder. "Yeah, I promised Tommy I would go right back to his cabin after dropping my stuff off, something about helping him setup, but I'm sure I'll see you before we leave."

"We're here until tomorrow and our cabins are right next to each other, I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of each other," she teased him before disappearing into her cabin.

He stared at the door long after it shut, realizing for the first time how close they were going to be this weekend, and he suddenly became very nervous, praying that he could make it until tomorrow afternoon without saying or doing something stupid.

* * *

Three hours later, Sara, Laurel, Lyla, and Felicity were splayed out on lounge chairs, basking in the glorious early afternoon sun. Felicity had fallen asleep for an hour but thankfully Lyla had woken her up before she burned badly. The front of her legs and her stomach were a light pink and she knew without looking in the mirror that her face would be the same. Hopefully, the over-sized sunglasses she'd fallen asleep wearing hadn't left unusual tan lines but even if they had, it was well worth the nap.

"I still can't believe that this is what you and Tommy decided to do for your bachelor and bachelorette parties," Sara said to Laurel. "I always figured you'd have some kind of spa day or something and Tommy would have a night of debauchery in Vegas."

Laurel shrugged as she pushed her sunglasses up and readjusted her pink bikini top. "So did I but we really just wanted to get away and spend time with each other and our friends. My friend Joanna's sister had a girls weekend out here and loved it."

"Where is Joanna?" Sara asked.

"She moved to Coast City three months ago with her husband, she's not even sure if she'll be able to make it to the wedding. She's still pretty new at her firm and it's hard for her to get time off. It sucks but it works out because five bridesmaids is already enough."

"I still can't believe you're marrying Tommy Merlyn of all people. Don't get me wrong, you guys are perfect for each other but when we were younger, I never thought you'd give him the time of day."

"Trust me, if you'd told me in high school that I'd marry Tommy, I would have told you that you were crazy."

"Did you guys not get along back then?" Felicity asked.

Laurel laughed. "Not at all. We hated each other."

"No," Sara corrected. "You hated him. Tommy's been in love with you since elementary school."

"Okay, then I hated him," she acquiesced. "He was just this rich kid who acted like he was better than everyone and he slept with anything that moved and he was a nightmare. What I didn't know was that his mom died when he was a kid and his father was gone a lot after that. It's not an excuse for his behavior but it helped me understand why he was the way he was. After college, we connected again, as friends first, and we got really close. He wanted to be more but I couldn't forget what he was like when we were younger and I was scared. I almost lost him because of it."

"What do you mean?" Felicity asked, thinking about Oliver and how much her feelings for him scared her.

"I pushed him away, I even started seeing someone at work trying to convince myself that we were just friends. It was actually Oliver that talked some sense into me. His dad had just died and I went to see him because I was worried about him, Tommy and John had told me how devastated he was, that he was getting drunk every night and sleeping away the day trying to forget, and so I went to see if I could help." She drifted off, remembering a darker time in her life. "It didn't go well to say the least and we both said a thought of things we wished we could take back. When I walked out of there that day, I didn't think we'd ever be friends again, but we'd both thrown a lot of truth in each others faces. He'd told me I was scared of losing control which is what I would be doing if I took a chance with Tommy, he said I was giving up a chance on the real thing because I was too scared to risk the hurt."

Sara reached over and squeezed Laurel's hand. "Well you took the chance and look at where you are now. You're about to marry the love of your life and you're spending the weekend surrounded by the people who love you, I'd say it all worked out in the end."

Laurel smiled and squeezed her hand back. "I'm so happy you moved back. I missed you."

"I missed you too," Sara said as she got up to hug her sister tightly.

Felicity felt like she was intruding on s private moment between the sisters and she felt vaguely uncomfortable. Lyla was snoring lightly in the chair next to Felicity and she'd have to remember to repay the favor and wake her up. She knew that Laurel and Sara's relationship had been strained for years, when Felicity had met Sara they weren't even speaking, and this move home had proven to be beneficial for the both of them. They'd spent a lot of time over the last three years mending fences, it was the reason that both Nyssa and Felicity had grown close to Laurel, and Felicity was happy that they were closer than they'd ever been.

What was bothering Felicity was that even though she was surrounded by her friends, people that were the closest thing she had to family, there was a sadness lingering in her that only seemed to grow as the day went on and she needed to shake it off. Something that would be easier once she could figure out the why of it all.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the boat came back, everyone on it red and smiling, enough fish to feed them for a week on board. Things became chaotic for a while as every one found a job for themselves between cleaning and cooking the fish and other various jobs. Felicity floated around the property for a bit, offering help to whoever looked like they needed it, and doing her best to avoid Oliver, which was why she'd jumped at the idea to go into town to get some ice with Thea.

It didn't occur to her that she'd volunteered herself for some alone time with Oliver's sister until it was too late. The first five minutes were heavy with awkward silence until Felicity couldn't handle it anymore, needing to find something to fill the quiet so Thea wouldn't broach the Oliver subject. "You're going to college in Central City, right? What are you going for?"

Thea's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "I'm going for business management. I just finished my first year." She didn't sound excited about it and Felicity could tell there was something that she wasn't saying. The question was to push or not to push. She didn't know Thea but she could tell when someone needed to talk about something.

"How are your classes?" Maybe if she asked her some benign questions first, she'd bring it up herself, though Felicity doubted it would be that easy.

"Boring, they're all so boring," Thea admitted after a brief pause making Felicity laugh loudly.

"You hate it, don't you?" Felicity asked.

Thea pulled into the nearest convenience store, parking and shutting the car off but she made no move to get out. She pushed an errant hair out of her face and sighed deeply. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone else? Especially my brother?"

"I swear I won't say anything. And I definitely won't say anything to Oliver, he seems like he can get a little intense."

Thea rolled her eyes but there was a small smile on her face. "A little is an understatement. I don't think I'm going to go back next year," she said quietly, head ducked down.

"To Central City or school in general?"

"School in general. I hate it, I hate the classes, I hate the people, I hate the teachers. I barely made it out of high school, I don't know why I thought I could handle college. Neither Oliver or Tommy graduated and look at them now, they're both successful."

"Oliver said you wanted to open your own club after school."

"I do but I think I could do it without school, Tommy's doing just fine."

"Is this really because you hate it? Or because you're homesick and being home has shown you how much you miss being here?"

Thea chuckled softly. "Can't get anything past you. I just miss my family, I miss my mom and Walter, I miss my brothers, I miss my friends, I miss—"

"Roy," Felicity finished for her

Thea turned to face Felicity, nodding her head, her brown eyes wide and innocent, looking every bit of her eighteen years. "What if me being gone breaks us up? I love him so much and I'm scared I'm going to lose him."

"Do you want my opinion? 'Cause I'll probably give it to you even if you don't want it, if we're being honest here."

Thea laughed again, biting her lip, and nodding her head.

"I think that three years isn't as long as it seems and you'll regret it later in life if you bail now. I know that you miss your family but I'm sure Oliver wouldn't mind letting you use the company plane to come home every weekend if you wanted. And as far as your relationship with Roy goes, if you really love each other, you'll survive. If you give up something that's important to you, being a successful business owner, because of him, you might resent him and you'll lose him anyway. At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for yourself, Thea. It's your life and you're the one who has to live it, don't make any decisions based on anyone else or because you're scared. Do what's right for you."

Thea stared out the window thoughtfully, turning Felicity's words over in her head. Felicity debated before reaching out to lightly touch Thea's shoulder. "You're a smart girl, Thea, you'll make the right decision, whatever it is. Now let's get some ice before they send out a search party."

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled back up to the campsite, ice in hand, but before Felicity could get out of the car, Thea stopped her. "Thanks, Felicity. I don't know what I'm going to do yet but I'm glad that I talked to you about it."

"Me too. I'm always here if you need to talk, Thea, anytime."

Felicity was taken aback when Thea launched herself across her seat to give Felicity a hug. "I told you I was a hugger," Thea said after she moved back to her seat.

"So in other words, get used to it?"

"Exactly." Thea opened her door, mumbling under her breath before climbing out, "It's a damn shame that you're not with Oliver."

Felicity didn't hear her but she had a pretty good idea about what she said. "What was that?" Felicity asked as she got out, following her to the trunk.

"Nothing," she responded in a singsong tone.

"What took you guys so long? We ran out of ice twenty minutes ago and the food's almost done," Tommy said as he jogged up to them to take the bags of ice out of their hands.

"What are you talking about? Sounds like we're just in time," Thea said, happily handing over the ice.

"Yeah, just in time to miss all the work."

"Funny how that worked out," Thea said.

"Hilarious. And here I thought Felicity would be a good influence on you."

"Maybe I don't need a good influence, maybe she needs a bad influence and it just so happens that I have nothing to do for the summer." She bumped Felicity with her elbow, winking at her.

"You're welcome to try and corrupt her but I've been trying for years with no luck," Sara said as she joined them, handing Felicity a drink.

"If little Lance can't corrupt you, you might be incorruptible," Oliver said as they walked up, joining in the fray.

"Hey, I've done crazy things before," Felicity said in her own defense.

"Skipping class doesn't count, Felicity," Sara said.

"Like I would have skipped a class," Felicity said before she realized that it didn't help her case.

Sara tossed her head back, laughing. "My point exactly."

"Are we completely forgetting that time she got in a drunken fight?" Nyssa offered much to Felicity's dismay.

Sara's eyes widened and her hand flew up to her mouth. "I forgot about that!"

"Fight is an exaggeration," Felicity said but nobody was paying attention to her any longer. While her and Thea were gone, they'd found three wooden picnic tables, pushing them together fifty feet from the fire pit, and now the whole group was scattered around them.

"I dragged them out to a party one night and Felicity was talking to some guy when his girlfriend walked up and started freaking out."

"I had a class with him and he was trying to prove me wrong about something that I was not wrong about," Felicity said, deciding that if the story was going to be told, she was going to make sure it was the right story.

"Anyways, this chick freaked out and was screaming in her face before she shoved her and Felicity punched her."

The group laughed and cheered and Felicity struggled to be heard over the noise. "First of all, she tried to punch me after she shoved me, I was just defending myself. And it's not my fault that she was drunker than me. And like any of you have any ground to stand on, the only one here who has less stories than me is Nyssa."

"I can't speak for them but I was an angel before I met this group of hooligans," John remarked as he sat down at one of the picnic tables next to his wife.

"That's a lie, old man," Oliver called out from the grill. "It's because you're so old, you got it all of out your system before you met us."

"Those are fighting words, Queen," he shot back.

"I'm confident I could win, in no part thanks to the person who taught me how to fight."

John shook his head, a deep laugh rumbling in his chest. "It's quite possible you could beat me. Merlyn on the other hand..."

"Hey!" Tommy's head comically popped up from the cooler he was rummaging in. "This is not a face meant to take a hit."

"And mine is?" Oliver asked in mock offense.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Let's eat before this escalates," Laurel said as she wrapped an arm around Tommy's waist.

* * *

Dinner was fantastic, conversation flowed smoothly and the food was delicious, everyone lingering around the table with full bellies. Oliver was having an amazing time, enjoying quality time with his sister and his friends, feeling grateful for everything he had. As he looked around the table, he couldn't help but feel a small jolt of sadness. All of his friends were happy and in love, a fact that was more obvious than ever as they all moved over to the campfire as the sun set in the sky. Nyssa and Sara were laid out on a blanket, Nyssa's arms wrapped around her as they whispered to each other. Laurel was perched on Tommy's lap as they joked with Thea and Roy who were sharing a lounge chair, something that Oliver was trying not to be uncomfortable with. John and Lyla had already begged off early, trying to justify it with two months of sleep deprivation, but everyone knew what they were doing.

He was happy for all of them, that they'd all found the person that made them feel whole, the person who filled that void in them, a person Oliver wished he had. He glanced at Felicity, who was sitting precariously close to the fire, concentrating on roasting her marshmallow to perfection. Her nose scrunched up as the marshmallow caught on fire and she hastily blew on it, putting it out but not before the marshmallow was an unrecognizable crisp.

She was unlike anyone that he'd ever met, unafraid to challenge him or call him out, extremely smart and compassionate, funny and gorgeous. He didn't have enough adjectives to describe all the amazing things about her and he was stuck watching her from afar. It didn't surprise him any that he finally found a woman that he wanted to get to know on a deeper level and she was having none of it. It's what he deserved after decade of using girls for his own selfish needs without a thought towards how they would feel when he inevitably never called back.

He spent the evening sneaking as many glances towards Felicity as he could without getting caught. It was fairly easy as it didn't take long for the couples to disappear into their cabins two by two until the only people left by the fire were Oliver and Felicity.

She plopped down into the chair next to him, making a face as she nearly missed it. "I think I may have drank a few too many of those wonderful drinks Sara was making. What were those and why haven't I tried them before now?"

"I don't know, I was drinking beer."

"I should ask her. Where is she?" She asked, frowning as she took in the empty campsite.

"Her and Nyssa went back to their cabin."

Her head dropped and she stared at her hands clasped together in her lap, gnawing on her bottom lip. She looked like there was something heavy on his mind and without even knowing what it was, he knew he wanted to alleviate whatever was bothering her.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

At first, she nodded, trying to brush him off. "I'm fine, I'm totally fine."

"Felicity."

She didn't say anything for a long moment and Oliver didn't think she was going to say anything at all when she finally spoke. "I don't know, I just felt out of place today. I feel like I'm an interloper, like I stole Sara's friends and family for myself when I don't really belong. I'm a bridesmaid in Laurel's wedding and I'm worried that it's only because she felt obligated, not because she wants me standing up there with everyone. I mean, I don't really have a family, other than my mom who I don't talk to very often, and since my freshman year of college, I've latched onto other people's families. First it was Nyssa and her dad, then the Lances, and then all of you who are one big family with all this history. Sometimes I just feel like I don't belong here."

He reached over, making her unclasp her hands as he took her left hand in his, trying to ignore that he was brushing against her skin that was left bare from her denim shorts. "That is hands down the craziest thing I've ever heard, you're just as much a part of this group as the rest of us."

She looked over to him with hopeful eyes, looking like the epitome of innocence. "Do you really think so?"

"I really do," he murmured. "Felicity, there is nobody that could meet you and not care about you in five minutes. I fully believe that Nyssa and Sara would kill anyone that hurt you, they don't think of you as a third wheel, you're family to them. Before she met you, Sara was a mess, making all the wrong choices and running from all of her problems, but she's changed a lot over the last three years and I think that's in large part due to you."

Felicity shook her head, staring at their entwined hands. "Nyssa deserves the credit for that."

"Some of it but you make people want to be better, it's who you are. I know that the first time Laurel went to visit the three of you that she couldn't stop gushing when she got home, she was so impressed by Sara and the way she was handling her life. And I know that she wanted you as a bridesmaid because she loves you like a sister, not because she feels obligated. If you could have seen how excited her and Tommy were to hear that it wasn't just Sara and Nyssa moving home, there would be no doubt in your mind that you belonged up there as a bridesmaid. You managed to win my sister over in one car ride and I don't know what I would do without you, at Applied Sciences or in my life in general," he said before pausing, worried that he would reveal more than he was ready to reveal. "What I'm trying to say is that even though you don't have as much history as the rest of us, it doesn't make you any less important. We're your friends, regardless of how we all met, and nothing is going to change that. You belong here as much as the rest of us do."

She was silent, drawing slow circles on the back of his hand with her thumb, and Oliver was struggling to tune out the effect it was having on his body. "Thank you," she said so quietly he barely heard her.

He made a split-second decision to stand up, pulling her with him. "Dance with me." Someone had left their iPod connected to a speaker dock and it was playing a soft, slow song. She hesitated for a second before nodding, allowing him to pull her into his arms.

His hands splayed out across her lower back as her dainty hands wrapped around his neck, her head resting against his chest. He took a shaky breath, hoping she didn't notice, and it appeared she didn't as she inhaled deeply and relaxed against him. He'd wanted to do this since the engagement party when he'd watched her dance with Ronnie and it filled him with such deep contentment that he never wanted to let her go again. These feelings were consuming him, she was all he could think about, and he'd never felt this way about another person his entire life. He'd jump if she asked him to, he'd do anything that she asked of him, even if it didn't give him her. He wasn't lying when he said that she made people want to be better. She made him want to be a better man, someone who deserved her, someone that she could be proud to call hers, because that's what he was even if she didn't know it. He was hers utterly and completely, all she had to do was ask, but she never would, not as long as he was her boss. If it meant that he could have her, he'd give up CEO, he'd give up anything and everything, and it was terrifying. The sheer intensity of his feelings were too much to handle, too much to keep locked inside, but he didn't dare let it out for fear of losing her.

"This is nice," she whispered into his chest.

It was so much more than that, he thought to himself as his hands tightened around her waist and he buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent, burning it into his memory. He vaguely heard the song change into a more upbeat one but they continued their slow sway, more caught up in the moment than the song. "Are you falling asleep?" He whispered into her ear.

"Uh-uh," she mumbled with a slow shake of her head.

As much as it pained him, it was time for them to go their separate ways before she fell asleep on her feet. He pulled away from her, grasping her shoulders to keep her standing. "Let me walk you back."

She pouted, an endearing sight, looking up at him with her big blue eyes. "You don't want to dance with me anymore?"

"I'd dance with you all night if I could but I don't think you'd make it."

"You're probably right," she said through a giant yawn. "Alcohol makes me sleepy."

He held his hand out to her, pleasantly surprised when she took it, sliding her fingers between his. They were both unusually quiet on the walk, their hands never separating as they made their way down the dark path, the full moon pushing through the trees, lighting it up enough to see where they were going. Oliver chest got tighter and tighter the farther down the path they got and he didn't know if it was from the extended contact with Felicity, the fact that they were alone, or that this was about to end.

He brought her all the way up to the door and reluctantly let go of her hand. "Good night, Felicity."

She frowned at him fiercely, appearing much more awake than she had by the fire. "Why do you make this so difficult?"

The question startled him. "What do you mean?"

She gave him a frustrated look, letting out a huff of air that blew her hair out of face. "Why do you make it so hard to stay away from you?" She took a step forward and that movement brought her achingly close to Oliver. He shoved his hands in his pockets, an attempt to stop himself from reaching out to touch her, an action he resorted to often. "This," she said as she gestured between them wildly, accidentally hitting him in the chest. "Drives me crazy. I don't know what to do. I think about you, I dream about you, I try to avoid you and then find myself right next to you. I can't stay away and that's not good. That's not good at all because I can't end up like her. I can't."

"End up like who, Felicity?"

Her eyes focused on his chest, her hand tentatively touching him. Both of them stopped breathing entirely as Oliver faintly heard an owl out in the trees and he felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest, worried that she could feel it. Her fingers stretched out, covering as much of him as they could, slowly sliding up to his neck, fingertips touching the back of it, sending shocks down his spine. Their eyes met briefly before she pulled his head down to her, standing up on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. He froze, caught off guard, but he recovered quickly, his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer to him as his lips moved against hers. Her small body molded against him as her mouth opened, allowing his tongue to slide into her mouth. He groaned into her mouth as their tongues danced together, his hands kneading into her back. The kiss was everything he thought it would be and more but this wasn't the right time. That thought sobered him and he pulled away from her, his hands grasping her waist to keep her at a safe distance. "Felicity, we can't do this," he told her breathlessly.

She stepped away from him, one hand coming up to touch her lips, the other reaching for doorknob behind her. "You're right, I don't know what I was thinking, good night, Oliver." The words rushed out of her as she pushed the door opened and launched herself into her cabin, slamming the door shut. There was a slight tremor to her voice and it killed him. He almost knocked on the door, wanting to explain that he only stopped it because she wasn't sober and she was still dating Ronnie but he didn't trust himself near her. He didn't know what he would really do if she opened that door again.

So he did the only thing he could. He walked away, even though it was one of the hardest things he'd done. It wasn't enough to have Felicity, he needed it to be right, not something that could be shrugged off as a mistake because of circumstances. He needed to her to know that what he felt was real and not some passing interest. Now he just had to find the nerve to tell her, something that was going to be harder than it sounded.

* * *

Felicity woke up at ungodly early hour the next morning, suffering both a headache from last night and utter embarrassment. She'd kissed Oliver and she was sure she'd said some things that she didn't want to say but that wasn't even the worst part. He'd been the one to stop it, not her, and now she wanted to avoid him at all costs. It might be an immature response to the situation but that didn't mean she wanted to do it any less. Sadly, that was going to be impossible since they were still here until this afternoon and they still had a couple weeks left until Applied Sciences was up and running and she would go back to her desk in the IT department. Until then she was going to have to pretend that the kiss didn't affect her whatsoever and if he confronted her about it, she would tell him that it was a mistake, something that wouldn't happen again. It wasn't a complete lie. She shouldn't have kissed him and it wouldn't happen again since it seemed he had no interest in kissing her, even if he'd kissed her back for one glorious moment. The only thing that wasn't the truth was that she didn't consider it a mistake, surprisingly the only thing she regretted was that she might have irrevocably changed things between them, and she couldn't handle that. She needed Oliver in her life, even if it wasn't in a romantic way, and if she'd risked that because she'd misread things, she'd never forgive herself. It didn't help to remind herself that even if he'd kissed her back, it didn't change things, she still wasn't willing to risk her career over something that could very likely go down in flames.

She was starting to frustrate herself, she wanted Oliver badly but she couldn't let herself give in to what she was feeling and she was starting to resent herself for it. She shook her depressing thoughts off, pouring herself a cup of freshly brewed coffee and heading down to the main site. Maybe she'd luck out and no one else would be awake and she could sit on the beach, enjoying the quiet peace of the water.

She made it half an hour before Nyssa found her way to the beach, joining her in a lounge chair facing the calm water. "I should have known I'd find you here," Nyssa said as she sat down.

"Were you looking for me?"

She nodded, taking a sip of her own coffee. "I stopped by your cabin before I came down here."

"Because you knew I'd be the only one awake or because of something else?"

Nyssa sighed and Felicity knew it was the latter, suddenly wishing she hadn't asked. "I saw you with Oliver last night."

"And what did you see exactly?" Felicity asked in the best nonchalant tone that she could manage.

She wasn't fooling Nyssa who was giving her an incredulous look. "I saw you guys kiss."

"I really don't want to talk about this, Nyssa, I'm humiliated enough as it is," Felicity said as she stood up, deciding that she would rather sit alone in her cabin then sit here for this particular line of questioning.

"I didn't come here to give you a hard time about it. I wanted to have a real conversation about what's going on between the two of you."

"Nothing! There is nothing going on between us or didn't you stick around to watch him stop the kiss?"

"Felicity," Nyssa said it slowly, trying to calm her down.

"Okay, I kissed him and I'm sure you're pissed because you hate him and you set me up with Ronnie, who I'm still technically seeing, and I'm sure kissing Oliver makes me an awful person and I can't tell if it's worse or better that he's the one who walked away from me this time and I think I'm going to break up with Ronnie but it doesn't change that I can't be with Oliver because he's my boss. What am I supposed to do? Quit and take a job that's inferior to the one I have now? Give up a job that I absolutely love for a relationship that doesn't stand a chance in hell of working? Tell me what I'm supposed to do, Nyssa," she pleaded.

"Look, I know I'm not the biggest Oliver Queen fan but it's obvious that you have strong feelings for him. I agree that you should break up with Ronnie but as far as Oliver goes, that decision is on you." She stood up and walked over to Felicity, gripping her shoulders. "I love you like a sister, Felicity and I want you to do whatever makes you happy. If Oliver makes you happy, I think you should take the chance and tell him how you feel."

"Yeah but what would be the point? I can't risk my career." If she was more of a reckless person, this wouldn't be a problem.

"Then you need to make that clear and stick to it, don't lead him on. I'm on your side, whatever you want to do. I just want you to be happy."

Felicity hugged Nyssa tightly, grateful to have this woman in her life. "Thanks, Nyssa."

"I don't want to interrupt but Lyla wanted me to let you guys know that we're taking off," John said as he lingered awkwardly by the edge of the sand and Felicity wondered how much of that he'd heard.

"Lyla can't stay away from the baby any longer?" Nyssa teased.

"Definitely. It's definitely because Lyla misses her too much," he said rather unconvincingly which made both women laugh.

A thought occurred to Felicity and she suddenly saw an out from what was bound to be an awkward morning. "Are you guys going straight back to the city?"  
John nodded while Nyssa frowned, seeing where this was going. "Do you think I could ride back to Starling with you?"

"Of course, we'd be happy to give you a ride."

"I just have to grab my stuff, shouldn't take more than ten minutes."

"Okay, Lyla's still getting ready, I'll let her know that you're coming with."

"Thanks, John."

Nyssa waited until he was out of hearing range before she turned on Felicity. "What are you doing? You know that avoiding the situation isn't going to do either of you any good, right?"

"I'm not avoiding it, I'm prolonging it. I just need to think about some things, get my head on straight and I can't do that when I'm near him. Please, don't make this into a big deal and keep it to yourself, okay?"

"Fine, I won't say anything, but I can guarantee you're going to be hearing from Sara about bailing out early."

Felicity groaned dramatically, rolling her eyes. "Just do me a favor and try to rein her in until tomorrow."

"I'll do my best but I'm not a miracle worker. You know how stubborn she is."

"That's why I'm asking you. If there's anyone that could deal with a stubborn Sara, it's you."

They were about halfway home when Felicity heard light snores coming from the front passenger seat, signaling Lyla was asleep. John smiled lovingly at his wife before meeting her eyes in the rear-view mirror. She got the feeling he'd been waiting for an opportunity to talk to her since there had been a small amount of tension in the vehicle since she'd climbed in.

"Did Oliver ever tell you how we met?"

She shook her head, feeling like a child about to be chastised.

"It was his first year of college at his first school and Moira hired me to be his bodyguard after there was a kidnapping threat. I'd just come back from my last tour overseas and it was my first job and I was pissed that my only purpose seemed to be stopping Oliver and Tommy from getting their asses kicked on a nightly basis. I went from Special Forces to glorified babysitting for a couple of spoiled rich brats."

"What changed?" She asked, unable to stop herself. "The three of you seem pretty close now."

He nodded. "We are. There's nothing I wouldn't do for the two of them and I know they would do the same," he told her rather pointedly. "Oliver had flunked out of his first school and he was back in Starling City. He disappeared with Tommy for four hours and when I finally found them, Tommy could barely stand and was trying to pick a fight with some guy who had at least a hundred pounds on him. I tried to break it up and got punched in the face for my efforts so after I had them both in the car and after pulling over three different times to let Tommy puke, I decided I was going to quit. I was going to drop them off and quit and find a better job or maybe re-enlist, anything that had more purpose than what I was doing with those two. But then I got a phone call that changed my life." He went silent for a minute, gaze fixed on the highway in front of him. "My little brother, Andy, was in the middle of his second tour overseas and his Humvee had driven over an IED, killing him and his entire squad."

Felicity didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue because words were escaping her. It was clear the death of his brother still affected him deeply to this day and she couldn't imagine how he felt, having never lost a loved one to death.

"After I got the phone call, I had to pull over and get out of the car. Oliver found me sitting on the ground. I was devastated but I had to get to Carly, Andy's wife. She'd been the one to call me and the news had sent her into early labor with my nephew. So I told Oliver that I had to drop him and Tommy off immediately and instead of asking any questions, he climbed into the front of the car and refused to be dropped off with Tommy. He sat with me all night until Carly had the baby and he even came to Andy's funeral with me. If it hadn't been for Oliver, I don't know where I would be. I know I wouldn't have Lyla or my daughter, I pushed her away after Andy died and we almost divorced. We would have if Oliver hadn't pulled me out of the hole I was in."

Felicity sat quietly, letting it all sink in, amazed by how much Oliver's friends cared about him. She knew that regardless of whatever reputation he once had, Oliver was a good man, and John's story proved that he'd always had it in him. He was a good, loyal, and generous man, so why was it so hard for her to take that final step and tell him how she really felt?

"Look, Felicity, I understand your hesitation and reluctance to give Oliver a chance, but at the end of the day, you make him happier than I've ever seen him and I just want my friend to be happy."

"Johnny," Lyla mumbled sleepily from her seat. "Leave the poor girl alone. She didn't want to ride with us so you could tell her how amazing Oliver is. Stop interfering."

John smiled apologetically at Felicity in the rear-view mirror. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, I'd do the same thing in your position. It took a lot of convincing on my part to get Nyssa to get Sara a chance. It's what we do for family."

John nodded slowly and Felicity felt like she gained the slightest bit of respect from him. "I'd do anything for my family," he said as he grabbed Lyla's hand.

Would it really be so bad to be a part of all this? What was the worse that would happen if she just gave in?


	6. Chapter 6

**AN- Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and for your faves and follows. You guys are the best! Four more days until 3x20! Enjoy!**

Chapter Six

Oliver masterfully maneuvered across the packed dance floor of Verdant, ignoring the few people who tried to get his attention. He was on a mission and he wouldn't get distracted, he needed to talk to Tommy or he was going to lose his mind. He climbed the stairs that led to the manager's office two at a time, finding Tommy behind his desk, flipping through papers, and he was briefly struck by the realization of how far they've both come these past few years. But now wasn't the time to get nostalgic, he needed the advice of his best friend badly and he needed it now.

"Can we talk?" Oliver asked, doing his best to stand still before giving into his need to pace.

"What's up, Ollie? You seem...worked up," Tommy said cautiously.

"It's—it's just—" he stuttered, struggling to find the words. "It's Felicity," he said while exhaling loudly. If he'd been paying attention, he would have noticed Tommy failing to hide a grin but he was too buried in his own thoughts to catch it.

"What about Felicity?" Tommy asked once he schooled his expression.

"She's ignored me this entire week! I can't get a chance to talk to her without it being about work because she runs away. I've even tried calling her but she won't answer and we only have a week left on this project and I don't know what I'm going to do once it's over. What if she keeps avoiding me after she goes back to IT? What if I don't get a chance to talk to her? What if this is over before it starts?"

"Breathe, Ollie," Tommy said, worried his friend might pass out if he didn't stop talking long enough to get some air. He couldn't remember ever seeing Oliver this riled up, let alone about a girl. "Sit down." Oliver stood still, considering it, before slumping down into the chair across from Tommy's desk. "Does this have something to do with why Felicity left early last weekend?"

Oliver cringed and Tommy knew he'd hit the nail on the head. "I don't know. I'd know if she'd talk to me." Oliver wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Tommy what happened between them at the cabins, especially because it seemed like Felicity hadn't told anyone herself. The whole reason he came here was because he needed to get this off of his chest and he couldn't do that if he didn't tell Tommy the entire truth. "We kissed," he admitted reluctantly. "And now she's avoiding me."

"Maybe she just needs some time. You said it yourself that there were reasons beyond Ronnie that she wouldn't be with you, maybe she's trying to figure things out."

Oliver rubbed a hand over his prickly jaw, realizing he forgot to shave this morning. "Maybe," he said but he didn't sound like he believed it. "I don't know, I've never felt like this before, Tommy. I don't know how to handle it because I don't want to push her but the longer this goes on, the more I feel like I'm losing it."

"Then tell her how you feel."

"It's not that easy." He wasn't even sure how he felt, he just knew that he cared about her and he wanted a chance to be with her. He didn't know how to put this feeling into words, he'd never felt it before, and it was leaving him at a loss.

"It is that easy, you're just an idiot, Ollie," Sara said as she joined them, hopping up so she was seated on the edge of the desk.

"Shouldn't you be behind the bar and minding your own business?" Tommy asked as he pulled pieces of paper out from under her.

"Roy's training the new guy and I'm due for a break, figured I'd come let Oliver know that he's a giant idiot before someone else got a chance to do it for me," she said as she crossed her arms and glared down at him.

"What did I do?" He asked as he tossed his hands in the air and leaned back in the chair.

"Don't act like you don't know. She kissed you! You had your chance and you ran away."

"She kissed you?" Tommy exclaimed.

"She was drunk! I didn't want things to go too far and have her brush it off as a mistake. I was going to talk to her in the morning but she was already gone when I woke up and now she won't talk to me."

"Why couldn't you tell her right then? She remembers kissing you, she would have remembered if you'd had a good reason to stop," Sara said.

"She ran into her cabin before I could explain."

"And you don't know how to knock?"

"I was trying to do the right thing!" He shot up out of his chair, resuming his pacing.

"Way to go, Sara, now he's crazy again," Tommy mumbled under his breath.

"How was I supposed to know?" She whispered back.

"Maybe you should gauge the feeling of the room before you come barging in and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Felicity is family, my nose is right where it belongs."

"Will you two stop bickering?" Oliver asked wearily as he stood in front of the large window that allowed him to see the crowd in the club. "Do you really think I should tell her how I feel? I don't want to push her into something she doesn't want," he asked both of them.

"Yes, you should," Tommy answered.

Sara sighed dramatically. "I probably shouldn't tell you guys this but you should know. Felicity has been dodging you because she's trying to decide what to do, whether she should throw caution to the wind and give you a chance or if she should do the so-called smart thing and just be your friend. A decision that would been easier if you hadn't left her that night without explaining yourself. So I'd tell her if I were you before she decides it's not worth it."

If that was true, maybe Sara had a point. Maybe if he told her how he felt, it would be enough to push her to make a decision. As hope started to tentatively grow in him, he caught sight of Ronnie on the dance floor. Trouble was that the girl he was grinding against was definitely not Felicity.

He didn't give himself a second to think, storming out of the office, ignoring Tommy and Sara as he marched down the stairs and across the dance floor. As he got closer, he realized he knew the girl, something that he might be able to use to his advantage.

"Katie!" He called out as he approached, plastering on his most charming smile. She noticed him, immediately smiling and stepping away from Ronnie.

"Oliver! I haven't seen you in forever," she remarked, Ronnie forgotten about behind her.

"Why don't you go over to the bar and tell my buddy Roy to give you a drink on my tab, okay?"

She nodded enthusiastically and took off, leaving Ronnie and Oliver alone.

"Real classy, Raymond," Oliver sneered once she was gone.

"Hey, I'm not doing anything that you and Felicity aren't doing behind my back," he snapped.

Oliver shook his head, doing his best to look intimidating. "I'm not doing anything with Felicity. We're just friends."

"Bullshit. I'm not an idiot, Queen. I see the way the two of you look at each other, I see the way you act together. You can't deny it."

"I won't lie and say that I wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be with her but Felicity's better than that. She's better than you deserve, not that it matters because she's going to dump you once she hears about this." He turned around and started to walk away, deciding that he should go to Felicity's, kill two birds with one stone, tell her how he felt and tell her what this slime ball was doing behind her back. Or at least that was the plan until Ronnie spoke again.

"So that's what this is really about? You're just mad that she's fucked me and not you," he said between forced laughter.

Oliver clenched his fists together and whirled back around to face Ronnie. "Don't talk about her like that."

"Or what? I'm not scared of you, Queen. You're just some spoiled rich kid that's pissed because someone else got to play with the toy you wanted first."

Oliver tightened his fists and he was sure his nails had dug into his skin from the effort he was exuding to stop himself from decking Ronnie. "I'm warning you," he bit out through clenched teeth.

Ronnie straightened up, using his slight height advantage to try and intimidate Oliver. Oliver didn't care though, he didn't care either that they'd gained a crowd of intrigued people, he was only concerned with putting this piece of shit in his place. He wasn't going to let anyone talk about Felicity like that but Ronnie wasn't getting the message. "Don't be mad that's it my name she's calling out at night. I make her forget all about you whenever I bend her over and—"

Oliver didn't even realize that he'd punched him until Ronnie was on the floor, clutching his now broken nose. Oliver ignored the pain in his right knuckles, grateful John had taught him how to throw a proper punch, and towered over Ronnie. "I warned you."

"That's a nice right hook, Ollie," Sara said from next to him while looking at Ronnie like she wanted to get a few hits of her own in.

"You better take off, Oliver, before someone calls the cops," Tommy told him.

Oliver looked down at Ronnie, who was now surrounded by people Oliver was assuming were his friends, and cursed under his breath. Felicity wasn't going to be happy when she heard about this, regardless of what Ronnie was saying, and it was reluctantly that he decided tonight wouldn't be the best time to confess his feelings for her. He should probably explain himself first before Ronnie ratted him out.

Sara touched his shoulder lightly. "I'll tell her what happened," she said, reading Oliver's mind.

* * *

Felicity was in the middle of a frustrating battle to sleep when her phone started to vibrate on top of her nightstand. She groaned and grasped around, trying to find it. "Hello?" She mumbled into the phone.

"Ronnie was at Verdant with another girl and Oliver broke his nose," the words rushed out of Sara, muffled music playing in the background.

Felicity shot up, the little bit of sleepiness she felt evaporating. "Oliver did what?"

Sara relayed the story to her, anger and bewilderment growing inside Felicity. "Why was Oliver at Verdant?" She asked once Sara was done.

The line was quiet and Felicity thought for a second that Sara had hung up on her. "Let me get this straight, I tell you that your boyfriend was cheating on you and being an all-around jackass which led to him getting punched in the face by the guy you're trying to stay away from, and your first question is why Oliver is in a club?"

"It's a legitimate question," Felicity mumbled.

"Riiigght," Sara drawled. "I only wanted to tell you because I think Ronnie's on his way to your place."

With eerie timing, there was a knock at her front door. "That must be him. I got to go, Sara."

"Okay, good luck with that. By the way, Oliver was at Verdant to talk to Tommy about you." Sara hung up before she got a chance to say anything else.

The knocking became more incessant and she scrambled out of her bed to answer it before it became more irritated. She swung the door open to find Ronnie glowering at her, toilet paper shoved up his nose that had a fresh bump and cut down it. Her eyes widened and she bit her lip to keep her laughter back as he barged into her place. "Come right in," she said blandly, shutting the door and turning to face him.

"Your little boyfriend broke my nose!" The words were garbled from said broken nose and it took a minute for them to sink in.

"Why were you at Verdant? I told you I wanted to talk to you about something important and you said you couldn't because you had to work. I didn't realize grinding with skanky girls at clubs was work."

"So we're going to jump right over the fact that your friend assaulted me?"

"I don't control Oliver and from what Sara told me it was well-deserved."

"Sara hates me, you can't believe what she says. She'd do anything to get you to dump me and hook up with Oliver."

"Bashing my best friend isn't going to bring me around to your side. In fact, there's nothing you could say that would bring me around to your side." She stormed back over to the door and yanked it open. "I should have done this awhile ago. You're an arrogant, pushy, and rude asshole, I never should have wasted my time on you. We're done and you need to leave."

"Wasted your time?" He let out a bitter bark of a laugh. "This was a complete waste of my time, I should have dumped you the second I saw you pining over that rich asshole. Now you're free to screw your way to the top of Queen Consolidated, if you haven't already. Is that why you didn't sleep with me? You were already screwing Queen and your so-called morals couldn't take two men at one time?"

Felicity's jaw dropped open and her eyes watered, much to her dismay. She shut her mouth and lifted her head high, choosing to rise above him instead of sinking to his level. She was about to tell him to leave again when a familiar voice sounded out from the doorway, startling her.

"I suggest you leave before things get uglier," Nyssa warned him in a low voice.

He stood there long enough to blink twice before storming past both of them. "You and Queen deserve each other," he spat before he climbed into his car, slamming the door.

Nyssa and Felicity stood there and watched until his tires screeched against the pavement and he disappeared down the road. "Sara called, said you might need some back-up," Nyssa said as she joined Felicity inside, making herself at home on the plush tan couch.

"I was handling that just fine on my own," Felicity said, plopping down next to her.

"I know you were but I feel guilty because I introduced the two of you and he's definitely not who I thought he was," Nyssa told her glumly.

Felicity scooted closer, letting her head fall on Nyssa's shoulder. "It's my fault. In total honesty, I'm pretty sure I was only dating him so I had a legitimate reason to not date Oliver. He's right, I'm the bad guy in this situation. I kissed Oliver while I was dating him and even if I hadn't kissed Oliver, I was with him emotionally."

"I can't believe Oliver punched him." There was something about the way she said it that made Felicity believe Nyssa respected him a little more for it.

"What was he thinking?" Yes, a part of her believed that Ronnie deserved it but at the same time, she felt bad. He may have been an asshole but she hadn't exactly been honest with him. It was hitting her now how much of a sham the relationship had been and she was mad at herself for letting it happen. That wasn't like her, she was a firm believer in if something wasn't right, it wasn't right. She'd known all along her and Ronnie wouldn't last but she'd let it continue because she was too wrapped up in denying her feelings about Oliver.

"I think that he couldn't stand there and allow you to be disrespected. Breaking his nose might not have been the best way to handle it but he stood up for you, that's what's important. Besides, he's just lucky that Oliver got to him before Sara did or a broken nose would be the least of his worries."

Felicity laughed. "Agreed."

* * *

Sometime during the night, while Felicity had been tossing and turning fruitlessly in her bed, she'd become angry at Oliver. Somehow, that had turned into her driving over to the Queen mansion at eight o'clock this morning. It never occurred to her that it was an insane thing to do until she was already knocking on the imposing door. She cringed and stepped back, hoping maybe they didn't hear her, and she could go back home to get some obviously needed sleep and forget that she ever did this.

The door creaked open slowly and ominously revealing a surprisingly put-together Moira Queen. She didn't know if it was because she answered her own door or because she was perfectly coiffed at eight a.m. on a Sunday. "Miss Smoak? This is a surprise," she said while giving Felicity a soft smile.

"I'm sorry to disturb you. I wanted to talk to Oliver but I didn't realize how early it was until I was already here. This was a dumb idea, I should go home. Would you tell Oliver that I wanted to talk to him? Actually, never mind, don't tell him I was here," Felicity rambled. She waved awkwardly before turning around, resisting the urge to run to her car and hide her mortification.

"Nonsense. Come inside, Miss Smoak, I'll go get Oliver for you." When Felicity turned back around but didn't take a step forward, Moira beckoned her inside. "Raisa just made some coffee, come inside, and she'll happily get you a cup." Maybe she imagined it but she could have sworn that Moira gave her a coy look, like she knew Felicity couldn't resist the lure of fresh coffee.

Giving up her escape plans, Felicity smiled and stepped inside. "Coffee would be great. I'm sorry again about dropping by unannounced."

"I'll be hearing none of that," Moira said as she led her into a sitting room to the right of the foyer. "It's always a pleasure to have Oliver's friends in the house. Thea's done with school for the summer but she's never here and with Oliver and Walter's work schedules, this house is empty too often for my liking. Please, take a seat while I get Oliver."

Felicity obliged, fully taking in the room as Moira disappeared and a congenial, older Hispanic woman brought her a steaming mug of coffee. Felicity thanked her graciously as she took a gulp from the cup, burning her tongue in the process. Felicity wanted to get up and wander the room, if only to more closely examine the family photos scattered around the room. Just as her willpower was about to break, a sleep-mussed Oliver strolled into the room, eyes widening in surprise when he saw her. His navy sweatpants hung low on his hip and his gray t-shirt clung to his muscles. Muscles Felicity suddenly wanted to reach out and touch, recalling having done so during that steamy kiss. "What are you doing here?" It wasn't an irritated question, more of a wary one, and she knew he was nervous about why she was here.

"I'm sorry that it's so early and that I didn't call or give you a heads up. This was kind of a last minute thing."

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants almost aggressively as he dipped his head, staring at his own bare feet. "This is about Ronnie, isn't it?"

Yes, that was why she was here, except that now that she was here, she wasn't nearly as mad as she had been while she'd been lying in bed. "Yes, it's about Ronnie. What were you thinking Oliver? What are you going to do if he presses charges?" She set her cup down on a coaster on the dark mahogany coffee table before standing up.

He pulled a hand out of his pocket to wave her concerns off. "He won't press charges and even if he did, it's nothing that you should be worried about."

"You mean, just like how you shouldn't be worried about what my boyfriend is or isn't doing? You had no right to get involved. He already has the wrong idea about us and it doesn't help that you busted up his face!" The anger was back but she wasn't sure who she was really angry with out of the three of them.

Any good humor that was in Oliver's face evaporated, replaced with frustration. "I'm sorry that I couldn't stand back and let that pig spout off that garbage about you. No, actually I take that back. I'm not one bit sorry that I broke his nose."

"You had no right to interfere in my relationship!"

"I was being a friend!" He shot back.

She took another step towards him, crossing her arms angrily. "A friend? That's what you were doing? You were being my friend? So confronting my cheating boyfriend and punching him in the face is your idea of being a friend? All you did was make things worse! Ronnie's convinced that something's going on between us and your actions last night confirmed that in his mind."

"So what?" He asked in a low whisper. "You can't tell me that you're still seeing that asshole."

"I'm not but that's not the point."

"So what is the point? That maybe Ronnie was right and there is something going on between us and you're just in denial?"

"There is nothing going on between us," she told him in the most level voice that she could manage.

He snorted and moved closer to her. "If there isn't anything going on between us, then explain why you kissed me," he dared her.

"Yes, I kissed you but you're the one who walked away. _You're_ the one who stopped it," she jabbed him in the chest with her index finger to punctuate her _you're_.

"I stopped it because you were drunk and still dating Ronnie. Don't forget that you're the one who stopped this on the first place. If you weren't so worried about your career, we'd be together and you never would have dated Ronnie!"

"It's not like you fought to change my mind!"

"I wanted to respect your decision!"

"My decision to place my career first? I don't get it, you say you want to respect my decision but you obviously think I made the wrong one."

"I think you're using your career to hide your feelings from yourself. I've made it no secret that I've been interested in you from day one but you're always finding a reason to push me away. So instead of talking about how I feel or what I'm doing wrong, let's talk about your feelings for once. I know you have feelings for me, just like I have feelings for you but what I can't figure out is if you're just in denial or if you're scared."

They were both breathing heavily, the thick tension in the air suffocating them both, and somehow they'd once again ended up uncomfortably close to each other. Felicity took a step back, needing some space to clear her mind. "I shouldn't have come here. This was a mistake." With one final shake of her head, Felicity practically ran out of the mansion, leaving Oliver standing there in a speechless stupor.

His anger whooshed out of him, an aching emptiness replacing it. This wasn't how he pictured his morning or this conversation with Felicity going and it left him feeling exhausted already. He sunk into the couch, staring intensely at her coffee cup still sitting on the table, the only sign that she'd been here. He was caught up in his thoughts about Felicity so he didn't notice his mother coming into the room until she was sitting on the couch next to him.

"Are you okay, Oliver?"

"I'm fine, Mom."

"Oliver." She only said his name but it was enough to tell him that she didn't believe him.

He sighed, running his hand over his still unshaven jaw. "It's complicated."

"I couldn't tell," she teased him lightly.

"How much of that did you listen?"

Her shoulder rose and dipped in a graceful shrug. "Enough." Which meant she listened in to their entire conversation.

"It's my fault. I acted like a jackass last night and this morning. I keep shooting myself in the foot."

"I don't think Felicity is mad at you."

He side-eyed her, giving her an incredulous look. "Were you paying attention during that argument? Because she seems pretty mad to me."

Moira laughed softly, taking her son's hands in hers. "I think when strong feelings are involved, intense emotions come out. Trust me, if Felicity didn't care about you, she wouldn't have come here in the first place."

"Do you really think so?" He asked softly.

"Full-heartedly. Give her some time to cool off and go apologize to her. She wouldn't be so worked up if it didn't matter."

Oliver stayed quiet, allowing her words to sink in, but she spoke again before he could respond. "I'll be honest that I don't know what the full extent of your relationship with Felicity is but I do know that this last month that you've been working on Applied Sciences, you come home happier than I've seen you since your father passed, if not the happiest I've ever seen you. It's not hard to deduce that the reason for that has something to do with Felicity and that's enough for me. All your father and I ever wanted for you and Thea was for you to have happy fulfilled lives because at the end of the day, that's all that matters."

Oliver smiled and pulled his mom into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Mom. I love you."

"And I love you, son. I just wish your father was here to see what a wonderful man you've become." Moira moved back, brushing away a tear.

"Whoa, did I miss something?" Thea asked from the doorway.

"Thea, what a lovely surprise. What are you doing here so early?"

She shrugged. "Do I need a reason to come visit my family?"

Moira and Oliver gave her identical disbelieving looks and Thea rolled her eyes. "Fine. I wanted some of Raisa's famous pancakes."

Moira laughed, getting to her feet. "Well, let's go convince her to make some. It's not very often I get the opportunity to have breakfast with one, let alone both, of my children."

* * *

Later that evening, Felicity was splayed out on the couch, buried under mountains of blankets, which was how she'd spent her entire day since she'd left the Queen mansion that morning. She'd had the equivalent of a sick day today, sleeping on and off on the couch while she watched cheesy rom-coms and ate junk food. She was no closer to figuring out the Oliver situation and she was feeling heavy amounts of guilt over how things had turned out with Ronnie and her behavior at Oliver's this morning. It felt like no matter what she did, she was doing the wrong thing at every turn, an unusual feeling for her.

There was a knock on the front door and Felicity sunk deeper into the couch as if it would hide her. She shut her phone off today and there was no way she was answering that door. She wasn't up for socialization regardless of who it was.

Another knock was followed by Oliver calling through the door. "Felicity, I know you're home. Will you please open the door and talk to me?"

She threw her mountain of blankets off and shuffled over to the door, realizing belatedly that she was wearing her cupcake pajama pants and a white tank top that her bra was visible through. Add to that, the insane bed head she was sure she had and suddenly she didn't want to open the door.

"Please, Felicity." His voice was mumbled throughout the door but not enough to hide the sincerity bleeding through.

She didn't have the heart to tell him no, so she opened the door, trying to forget what a mess she looked like. He immediately straightened up when the door opened, having previously been leaning against the wall. He gave her the show-stopping smile that always made her heart skip a beat and she couldn't help but return it. "Can I come in?"

She stepped aside, giving him access to her place, and he took a slow step inside, his eyes scanning the room and she became aware how messy everything looked, junk food wrappers scattered across her coffee table giving her away. "I know it's no mansion but it usually looks better than this," she said, unsure of what else to say.

"It's great in here," he told her genuinely. "Besides it may be a mansion but it's still my mom's house."

"So you're admitting that you, a grown man, live at home with your mom?"

"That would be a true statement. Does it lower your opinion of me?"

She tapped her finger against her chin, feigning like she was thinking hard. "Maybe just a little bit."

Oliver laughed softly. "I promised myself I'll get my own place when I'm thirty."

"Because it's going to take three years to save up the money for a decent place?" She teased.

"Pretty much. It's not like I'm home much to begin with, something my mother never fails to remind me about."

At the mention of Moira, Felicity winced, recalling her argument with Oliver, an argument she was sure Mrs. Queen overheard. "I'm sorry about this morning, I was out of line. I'm going to blame it on lack of sleep."

"You have nothing to apologize for, I'm the one who should apologize. But I'm not apologizing for punching Ronnie, I'm apologizing for being an all-around asshole."

"You're not an asshole," she assured him softly. "Ronnie brought that upon himself, he was only saying things he knew would get under your skin, we never even slept together."

Oliver's eyebrows rose before quickly falling. "Really?" He asked in a tone both disbelieving and hopeful.

She didn't know why she was telling him about her non-existent sex life with Ronnie but maybe it was because she didn't want Oliver to get the wrong idea about her. She decided to be honest, lying to herself was what got her in this mess in the first place. "It never felt right. I was with him to distract myself from what I was really feeling. I could never act on anything with him because of how I feel about you." She managed to drag her eyes from the ground, meeting his even though it terrified her. "You were right this morning. I do have feelings for you," she murmured.

"But you still need time," he finished for her, reading her mind. Apparently, he knew her better than she thought he did.

She nodded. "At least until I'm back in IT which is in a week."

"I'll wait however long you need me to," he told her honestly. "I'm not going anywhere, Felicity. It doesn't matter if you want to be with me or just be friends, I'll be here. I'll respect your decision whatever it is." He moved closer to her, lightly cupping her chin and tilting her head up. "I need you in my life. It's up to you what I role I play in it." His lips brushed against hers faintly and if it wasn't for the tingling sensation they left behind, she would almost think that she imagined it. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said before walking past her and out the door, returning the favor of leaving her standing there speechless, just as she had this morning.

As her fingers touched her lips, she realized just how much she was in over her head.

* * *

The next morning flew by, both of their plates overloaded with last minute tasks that had to be done before Friday. Things had shifted between her and Oliver, both of them using any excuse they could to talk or touch, their gazes lingering on each other long past appropriate. Yesterday had been freeing for the both of them and even though she hadn't made a concrete decision yet, she knew that she wanted him, and that knowledge made her feel as light as air.

She was in the middle of touching base with Oliver and Barry when her phone began to vibrate, the display showing a number she didn't recognize. "Excuse me for a second, I have to take this."

"Use my office," Oliver said, pointing towards his makeshift office, complete with glass walls like his actual office.

They shared a smile that earned them a suspicious look from Barry and she dashed across the floor into the office. "Hello?" She answered as she stood by Oliver's desk.

"Miss Smoak, it's Lucius Fox, I was wondering if you had a moment to speak with me."

She'd been leaning against the desk but as soon as she heard his voice, her hand slipped off, taking some papers with it, drawing Oliver's attention. She gestured to him that she was fine to alleviate his worried expression and turned her back to him to hide hers. "Of course, Mr. Fox," she answered nervously.

"I know that one of our people got in touch with you a couple of months ago to set up an interview and you turned them down."

"Yes, Mr. Fox. Starling City is a better fit for me than Gotham. Not that I didn't appreciate the offer, Mr. Wayne has an amazing company that I would be proud to work for, the thing is that I have family in Starling and I've gotten some wonderful opportunities here at QC, it was the right choice for me in the end."

"I understand where you're coming from, Miss Smoak, and I've heard nothing but brilliant things about you, especially since you began working in Applied Sciences, which is why I was hoping I could convince you to change your mind and come work for us at Wayne Enterprises."

She nearly dropped the phone. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I'd like to offer you a job. If you'd come to the interview two months ago, you would have learned that it was actually about finding someone to work side by side with me. We recruited the best and brightest to work here and there was supposed to be a three month evaluation process that would end with me selecting someone to become my second-in-command in the R&amp;D department, a successor of sorts if things worked out. But it's become clear that there's no one else that can come close to your immense talent and you're the only one who I believe would be a good fit with me, the department, and the company as a whole."

Her heart was thumping so hard she was worried she might pass out. This had to a joke, it had to be. "I'm not trying to sound ungrateful here, Mr. Fox, but you've never met me or seen my work, how can you know if I'm the right person for the job?"

"I'm very aware of your work at QC and in Applied Sciences. I have my own ways of getting information, Miss Smoak, and I'm convinced that there is no else that I would like to have this job. Now I know that this is a huge, life-changing decision for you and I don't want your answer now but I will need one by Friday. Of course there's always a chance things won't work out but I have no doubt about your abilities."

She should say no. She should say it right now without even entertaining the idea but her mouth was apparently not listening to her brain. "You'll have your answer by Friday. Thank you, Mr. Fox, this is an incredible offer."

It was then that he informed her of the salary, making her jaw drop. That was more money that she knew what to do with and she once again found herself wanting to ask if this was a joke.

"I never said it was easy work, Miss Smoak," he said while chuckling deeply at her stunned silence. "I must be going but I hope to hear good news from you by Friday."

She hung up the phone but didn't move or breathe for a good minute afterwards. Lucius Fox just offered her a job. _The_ Lucius Fox. She glanced over her shoulder towards Oliver, who was trying to pretend that he hadn't been watching her with concerned eyes. Oh god, what was she going to tell him? Was she going to take the job? Could she turn it down? She'd been preparing herself to finally give her and Oliver a chance but she couldn't do that and move to Gotham, it wouldn't work.

She took a deep breath and schooled her face before rejoining Oliver and Barry.

"Everything okay?" He whispered in her ear once she was close enough, placing his hand on her lower back with the lightest of touches but it felt heavy, probably due to the guilt rolling through her.

"Yeah, everything's fine. It was a friend from MIT, he needed some advice about a work thing." She didn't know why she lied to him, she hadn't planned on it but she didn't want him to say anything that would affect her decision.

He nodded, accepting her lie as he removed his hand and returned to bickering with Barry. She didn't know what was making her feel guiltier: lying to Oliver or that she might actually take this job.

It was started to look like it was going to be another sleepless night.


	7. Chapter 7

AN-** 3 More Days to 3x20! Enjoy!**

Chapter Seven

She knew things were desperate. Nothing proved it more than the phone call she was making right now. She couldn't believe she was doing this but she needed some outside advice and there was no better person.

She hadn't told anyone yet about the offer from Wayne Enterprises two days ago and she was still firmly split about the decision. One second, she was determined that there was no way she could take the job but the next second she'd find herself almost dialing Mr. Fox's number to accept it.

"Hello?" A cheery voice on the other end of the line answered.

"Mom?"

"Felicity! I haven't heard your voice in so long! You haven't called me or answered my calls since you moved to Starling and I haven't seen you since graduation. This is getting ridiculous. David and I were planning on coming for a visit, maybe around Thanksgiving, but I'm not sure. It depends on if he can get time off of work and his son doesn't know if he's coming here for Christmas or his mother's instead. Are you coming for Christmas? I'm sure you're not but I'd really like to spend a holiday with my only child. I'm sure you're still settling into your job and your place but it would be nice if you could make time to call me. I know we're not close, Felicity, but I am your mother."

"Mom," Felicity groaned, cutting off her ramble. She was already exhausted and they'd barely been on the phone for a minute.

"I'm sorry, dear. You know how chatty I can get. What are you calling about? Not that you need something to call me about but I know you. If you're calling me, something must be on your mind."

"Who's David?" Felicity asked, belatedly realizing this was the first time she'd heard of him.

"Oh, he's amazing! He really is. We've been seeing each other for the last month and I think he might be the one."

Felicity was glad she couldn't see her roll her eyes. This wasn't the first, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last, time that her mother had proclaimed a new man to be the one. "What happened to Josh?" That was who her mom had been seeing as of her graduation. He'd been nice enough, all-around average, and she'd known immediately after meeting him that it wouldn't last.

"Turns out he already had a wife. Now enough talk about me, tell me what's on your mind, sweetie."

She rubbed her temple with her free hand, trying to stave off a burgeoning headache. "Do you regret it?"

Donna fell quiet, the silence heavy across the phone. "Regret what?"

"Do you regret choosing him?" She winced as she asked the question, worried about her mom's reaction. This wasn't a subject either of them liked discussing but she needed to know. "Was it worth it?"

"Felicity, that's the past, okay? I don't want to talk about your father."

"I know, I know, I don't either but I don't know what to do, Mom."

"Felicity, what is going on? I'm started to get worried."

"It's nothing, I just need to make a decision and I thought that maybe if I talked to you, if maybe you were okay with giving up your dreams, maybe it would make this easier."

Felicity could almost picture her mom sitting at the kitchen table, absentmindedly fidgeting with the silver locket Felicity had given her for Mother's Day when she was a kid that she'd worn everyday since. "Of course it was worth it to choose your father. It gave me you and that's not something I would ever regret," she told her vehemently. "Look, I know that I've never made what you would call the best choices but I'm happy with the way I lived my life. I follow my heart, Felicity, wherever it may take me, and yes, I've had my heart broken more than a few times but I wouldn't take any of it back. I've lived my life on my terms and that's something I'm always going to be proud of, just the way I'll always be proud of you, no matter where life takes you."

Felicity moved the phone away from her head so her mom wouldn't hear her shaky intake of breath. No matter what Donna said, Felicity couldn't shake the memory of the aftermath of her father leaving. The endless days where Donna wouldn't get out of bed, the hope that shot through her every time the phone rang or someone knocked on her door, and the immediate devastation every time it wasn't him.

Donna had spent her entire childhood dreaming of being a dancer, Felicity had grown up surrounded by pictures of her mom doing what she loved and she'd watched dozens of videos from competitions and home videos, and it was the pure joy on Donna's face that had stuck with Felicity long past childhood. She'd had the opportunity to join an elite dance company overseas but she'd turned it down to stay in Vegas with Felicity's father, never dancing professionally again. After he left, Donna worked multiple jobs to take care of Felicity while jumping from relationship to relationship, trying to find that feeling again.

"What's his name?" Donna asked after Felicity didn't speak for awhile, lost in her own thoughts.

Felicity almost brushed her off but she had called her out of the blue to reopen old wounds, the least she could do was tell her what was really going on. She told her everything from when she first met Oliver to their conversation at her place Sunday night and finally the offer from Wayne Enterprises.

"What do you want to do, Felicity? What does your gut tell you?"

Her gut told her that she should take the job but her heart was the problem. "I want both," she admitted for the first time. "I want the job and I want Oliver but I can't have both."

"Well, you know what I would choose but I'm not you, Felicity. You're a genius and you'll succeed in whatever you do but you can't guarantee that you'll find a love like this again."

"I don't love him," she said abruptly.

"You don't?" Donna asked, not surprised but like she knew Felicity wasn't telling the truth.

But the truth was that she didn't know. She had strong feelings for him but was it love? "I don't know. Maybe I do, maybe I don't, but I don't want to make decisions based on feelings that could change."

"There's always a risk, Felicity. You just have to decide if you're willing to take it."

Felicity nodded, even though her mom couldn't see her. "Thanks, Mom, for the advice and for listening."

"Of course, sweetheart, I'm always here when you need me."

They said their goodbyes and Felicity hung up the phone, happy that she'd called her. She wasn't necessarily any closer to a decision but she felt better about whatever decision she might make. That phone call left her feeling nostalgic for her mom and a small part of her actually hoped that she would come to Starling City for Thanksgiving. Or maybe in Gotham if she took that job.

* * *

Friday night, the gang gathered at Verdant to celebrate the completion of the Applied Sciences project. There would be an official ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow morning and it would be up and running Monday morning, Oliver there to oversee things as the temporary director. Though, both him and Felicity only had to work two days the next week, thanks to the wedding. They were dreading the shortened week as it was, the first days in a month and half that they wouldn't be working side by side.

"So we're all flying out Wednesday on the Merlyn Global jet, well everyone but the Diggles and Thea and Roy, and we'll get checked into the resort, make sure everything is going according to plan," Laurel told them, going over the plan for the hundredth time in the last week. "I wanted to go out and have some fun before all the guests start to show up. Then there's nothing for Thursday and on Friday, we're either going spending the afternoon on a yacht or going to the aquarium to swim with dolphins, I haven't decided yet."

"Dolphins?" Felicity squeaked before her hand flew up to cover her mouth.

Sara, who was working behind the bar tonight, groaned as she approached their end of the bar. "I told you not to mention the dolphins unless you were 100% certain we were going."

Felicity tried to rein in her excitement as Laurel gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"I'm not going to lie, I would die to swim with dolphins, but it's your wedding weekend, choose whatever you want to do."

Laurel smiled as she leaned into Tommy, absentmindedly playing with her gorgeous engagement ring. "You guys, I'm so excited. This is going to be amazing and not just because I'm marrying my best friend. I'm so happy that I get to share this with all of you guys." She tilted her head up, sharing a steamy kiss with Tommy, and Felicity had a hard time keeping her eyes off of Oliver, heat rising up in her cheeks as she thought about doing that with him.

"We'll have to thank Mr. Merlyn this weekend. If it wasn't for him, I don't think we'd be able to go," Nyssa said.

"Yeah, footing the bill for this was very generous," Felicity reiterated.

Tommy looked uncomfortable with the subject, taking a deep swig of his whiskey. "It's him trying to make up for being a dick my entire life. It's a start but he can't buy a relationship with me or Thea, no matter how hard he tries. He only offered to pay after I told him he wasn't invited."

Oliver and Laurel shared a knowing look before Oliver gave her a brisk nod. "Hey, Tommy, let's go to your office, I wanted to talk to you about the plans for Wednesday night."

Tommy nodded tightly, setting his drink down harder than he needed to. Once they were gone, Laurel sighed, her shoulders sagging. "Malcolm called today and said that he might not actually make it to the wedding because of a work thing. And Tommy can put up a front but I know that he was actually looking forward to Malcolm being there." Laurel's phone started to ring and she dug it out of her purse, getting off of her bar stool. "It's my dad, I'm going to take this outside."

Nyssa looked down the bar, seeing that Sara was swamped making drinks at that end. Satisfied that they were alone, she turned to Felicity. "Spill it, Smoak."

Felicity averted her gaze, focusing on the pool of water on the bar from the condensation on her glass. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been weird all night, I know there's something going on, and I suggest you fess up now before they come back."

"Fine," she said, looking around to make sure none of their friends were near by, especially Oliver. "I got a job offer from Lucius Fox."

Nyssa's brown eyes widened. "Lucius Fox as in Wayne Enterprises Lucius Fox?"

"That would be him. Turns out, they've been hiring like crazy so Mr. Fox could evaluate them and find a successor to groom. He knows about what I've been doing with Applied Sciences and he wants me to work with him."

Understanding colored her eyes. "You're actually thinking about taking it, aren't you?"

"Can you blame me? This is a chance to work with one of the most brilliant minds out there. This could change my life, Nyssa."

"When do you have to decide?" Felicity couldn't get a read on how Nyssa felt, keeping her face blank, and she almost didn't tell her the next part, but she had to tell someone.

"I called him this morning and accepted." She took a gulp from her drink, avoiding looking at Nyssa.

"That's..." She trailed off. "You're leaving?"

Felicity nodded. "I still have to talk to Mr. Martin, see when he can afford to let me go."

"What about your apartment? Didn't you just sign a lease?"

"Wayne Enterprises offered to pay it off for me. They want me in Gotham as soon as possible."

"I can't believe you took it. What about Oliver? What about us? Have you told anyone else?" Her voice was getting louder and she was visibly upset.

"I thought of all people, that you would understand why."

"I get that's it an amazing opportunity but all of your friends are here, your family is here."

"You think I don't know that? You think that this wasn't a tough decision? This was one of the hardest decisions of my life and I didn't make it lightly. It's the right thing for me to do."

"Who knows?" She asked sharply.

"Just you and I need it to stay that way, at least until after the wedding."

"You expect to keep this from Sara? You're not going to tell Oliver?"

"Not until after the wedding. Please, Nyssa, don't tell anyone," Felicity begged.

She shook her head, making a disgusted noise. "Fine. I'll keep your little secret but you have to tell them after the wedding and you're going to have to be the one to break it to Sara." She glanced down the bar, watching her girlfriend happily joking around with some customers. "She's going to be devastated. We never told you this but it took a long time for me to convince her to come back. It wasn't until you decided to come with that she finally agreed. And now you're just going to bail." Nyssa shook her head again, taking her drink and standing up, making her way down the bar to Sara, effectively ending the conversation.

"What was that all about?" Oliver asked, reappearing at her side without Tommy.

Felicity shrugged. "I annoyed her, nothing new. Where's Tommy?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Laurel took over."

"Seems like a good time to call it a night," she said before hopping off of the bar stool.

"I'll walk you to your car."

Felicity thought about protesting but knowing that she was going to Gotham made her want to spend as much time with Oliver that she could. Neither of them said anything until they were out of the building when Oliver purposefully slowed his pace, telling Felicity without any words that she wasn't the only one who wanted to spend more time with the other. "So dolphins, huh?" He grinned as he asked it.

"Yeah," she answered sheepishly. "I was obsessed with them when I was a kid. I desperately wanted to go swimming with them and my dad actually planned a trip for us one summer just so I could."

"So you've swam with them before?"

She shook her head sadly, recalling the upsetting moment when she discovered that she was never going to take that trip. "No. My dad sold a patent for a good chunk of money and took off with his secretary the month before we were supposed to go. He never came back and I never went on the trip."

"I'm sorry," Oliver told her softly as they reached her car.

She waved him off. "I got over it a long time ago and who knows? Maybe I'll finally get to do it next week, though I'm going to do my best not to get my hopes up."

"Well, I hope you get the chance to go."

She nodded as she pulled her car keys out and opened the door but before she could climb in, Oliver took her hand. "Wait, Felicity."

"Oliver," she said in a pleading tone. After how well Nyssa had taken the news, she didn't want to have this conversation with Oliver. She didn't want to tell him that they couldn't happen because then she'd have to tell him why and she wouldn't get to enjoy this last little while of being with him. She couldn't tell if it was cowardice or selfishness that made her keep the news to herself but she didn't want to dwell with it.

"I told you that I wasn't going to pressure you to make a decision and that's still true. Whenever you're ready, we can talk. I just wanted to say thank you. I couldn't have made it through these last six weeks without you and I'm sad that I'm not going to see you everyday. I don't know if I can do this without you."

She smiled sadly, wishing he understood how hard it was for her to hear those words. "You'll do great, Oliver, stop underestimating yourself."

He squeezed her hand that he was still holding, making her chest tighten at the soft smile he was giving her. She never saw that with anyone else, it felt like it was her smile, the one reserved for her, and she felt tears threaten at the idea of not seeing it anymore. "Good night, Felicity." He let go of her hand and started walking away from her.

"After the wedding," she blurted. She waited until he turned around again to clarify. "I want to talk after the wedding."

"Whatever you want, Felicity," he told her sincerely.

This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

* * *

Monday morning, Felicity didn't wait too long into her work shift to start informing the people she needed to about her decision. She'd told a heartbroken Mr. Martin that she was leaving who then informed her that she needed to speak to Walter personally so she'd made the reluctant trip upstairs, hoping she wouldn't run into Oliver. Thankfully, he was nowhere to be seen as she was let into Mr. Steele's office after a brief wait.

"Miss Smoak, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

She bit her lip, wringing her hands together anxiously after pushing her glasses up. "I actually have some news. I'm leaving Queen Consolidated, I was offered a job by Lucius Fox and I've decided to take it."

He took his reading glasses of his face, setting them down on his desk as he leaned forward, his long, thin fingers pressed together like a steeple. "That is distressing news, Felicity." Uh oh, she thought. If he was dropping their formality, he must not be pleased with her, not that she blamed him. "I had planned on waiting to discuss this with you but it seems I must move my time table up. In six months, I'll be stepping down as CEO, resuming my post as CFO to spend more time with my family, which will put Oliver in charge, leaving a void in Applied Sciences. A void I was hoping you and Mr. Allen would fill as co-directors, a position that would include quite a jump on the pay scale."

Her brain struggled to process this. "You were going to make me co-director of Applied Sciences?"

"Yes. You, Oliver, and Barry Allen are an incredible team and you are more than capable of running Applied Science. Is there any hope that I might be able to change your mind and convince you to stay here?"

Was there? Was the job really the only reason she was running away to Gotham? It didn't matter, she'd already accepted the job and she wasn't going to change her mind. "I'm sorry, Mr. Steele, as incredible as the offer is, I can't turn down an opportunity to learn from Mr. Fox. I've loved working here and you have a great company but I have to do what's right for me."

"I understand, Miss Smoak. It will be a shame to lose you but I'm not going to stand in the way. You're going to do wonderful things with your life, I'm just sorry that it won't be here. Of course, I have to request that you finish out your two week notice before I let you go."

"Of course. Thank you, Mr. Steele, for the offer and your understanding." She got to the door before she stopped, a thought crossing her mind. "Actually, could I ask you for a small favor?"

"What is it?"

"Can you keep this quiet? From Oliver at least? I haven't told him yet and I want to tell him myself after the wedding."

"I will do the best I can, though I can't guarantee that he won't hear Richards sobbing and put two and two together," he teased, referencing how upset her boss was.

She thanked him again and made her way out of the building, Gotham feeling more real with every passing second.

* * *

Thursday found Sara, Nyssa, and Felicity sprawled out on a beach in Bora Bora, nursing wicked hangovers from the night before. Along with Laurel, they'd gone to a club next door to the resort, letting off some steam before family started arriving while Tommy and Oliver had gone to a smaller club ten minutes away. Now Laurel was busy greeting guests and the three of them decided this was the perfect way to recuperate.

"Oh my god, why did I let you convince me to take those shots?" Sara groaned, asking Felicity.

"Me? I seem to recall that you were the one who kept running back to the bar for more shots."

"I don't remember that."

"I'm surprised you remember your name today," Nyssa said.

"I was not that bad."

"How many times have you thrown up today?" Felicity asked.

Sara heaved but managed to fight it back. "Okay, I'll admit that I'm responsible for this as long as you stop talking about it. Though, I'm glad we went out last night and that the yacht trip isn't until tomorrow, there's no way I could go on a boat hungover."

Felicity had been bummed when Laurel had handed out the itinerary while they were on the Merlyn Global jet and found out that she'd chosen the yacht over dolphins. She'd recovered though, accepting that if she was ever going to have a chance to swim with dolphins she was going to have to plan a trip herself. Hell, with the salary she was about to be making she could probably buy herself a dolphin.

Just then, she spotted Oliver walking towards them, the sun creating an almost otherworldly glow around him. He stood at the edge of her lounge chair, hands shoved in the pockets of his khaki shorts, a nice golden tan already forming on him, making him look even more delectable than usual. "Do you have plans for after dinner?" He asked her abruptly.

She shook her head, immediately regretting it as it felt like her brain ping ponged against the sides of her skull. She looked up at him, using her hand to block the blinding sunlight. "Nothing yet. I haven't thought much past dying on the beach."

"Don't make any then, I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

He leaned down, giving her his playboy smile. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you. See you after dinner."

"What about us?" Sara called out as he walked away.

"Make your own plans, little Lance, you're not invited," he called back teasingly.

Sara waited until he walked away to turn on Felicity. "Ooh, I wonder what he has planned for you. Maybe it's a romantic stroll on the beach under the moonlight or maybe a picnic on the beach or—"

"Jesus, Sara, when did you become such a romantic?" Felicity asked.

Before Sara could respond, Nyssa cut in. "Maybe instead of some romantic fantasy, you should have an honest conversation."

"Alright, that's it. What's going on between you two? What are you fighting about?" Sara asked.

"We're not fighting," Felicity said, avoiding Sara's disbelieving look.

"Bullshit. You guys have been all weird since last weekend."

"Don't worry about it, Sara. We're fine," Nyssa said, her tone indicating they were anything but fine.

"I'm going to go back to my room, I need a nap," Felicity said as she stood up and grabbed her things.

"Felicity," Sara said, trying to stop her.

"Just let her go, let her avoid it," Nyssa said pointedly.

Felicity shook her head and stormed off. She was still surprised Nyssa was so upset, she'd really thought she would be on her side about this, and any hope of her coming around quickly evaporated once Nyssa started avoiding her after last Friday. It didn't bode well for her telling anybody else and she held out a little bit of hope that Sara and Oliver would take it better.

Admittedly, she had a better chance of winning a Grammy than that happening.

* * *

That night after dinner, she was standing on the sidewalk in front of the resort, waiting for Oliver and his surprise. She found that she was more nervous about spending time alone with him than whatever his surprise might be. A black stretch limo pulled up to curb and Oliver got out of it, earning him a raised eyebrow from Felicity. "A limo? Don't you think it's a little much?"

He shrugged as he held the door open. "Maybe but I'll be honest, I only got it for the tinted windows. I don't want you to see where we're going."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm going to be able to tell where we are in the Bora Bora."

He huffed and gestured for her to climb in. "Will you just get in the limo?"

"You're lucky I know you're not a serial killer or I'd never get in," she said as she climbed in, sliding across the seat so he could get in.

He shut the door and took the air with him, making her feel like the back of the limo was an entirely different world. They both looked out of place, still clad in their casual beach wear, Felicity's swimsuit underneath her purple tank top and jean shorts, per Oliver's request. "So you're still not going to tell me where we're going or what this is all about?" Maybe there was a small part of her that was afraid he'd learned about Gotham and was planning to try and change her mind. She'd thought about what she would do if he asked her to stay and the honest answer was that she didn't know. She feared that she'd say yes in a heartbeat and she'd truly become her mother.

"For a genius, you don't seem to understand the definition of a surprise."

She smiled and relaxed into the seat, accepting that he wasn't going to tell her or risk giving her any hints. "You didn't have to do all this, Oliver."

"Why don't you wait to find out what the surprise before you make that judgment? Besides, think of it as a thank you for being my glorified assistant for the last month and a half."

"Well if this is how assistants are treated, I think I'm in the wrong job field."

Oliver was nervous, the anticipation making his blood buzz through him. He'd woken up bright and early, the idea coming to him while he was the club with Tommy. He'd spent most of the day making sure everything would go off without a hitch and it wasn't easy but he was confident that she was going to love it. It was about a ten minute drive and when the limo slowed to a stop, he pulled the black-out sleep mask from his pocket, handing it to Felicity. "Here, put this on."

She gave him a look that said that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Humor me. Please?" He gave her his best puppy eyes until she chuckled, shaking her head. She took the sleep mask, handing her glasses to Oliver as she slid it onto her face. He took her hand and carefully led her out of the car and into the facility, her steps slow and unsure.

"I cannot believe that I got in a car with you, a car that I couldn't see through the windows, let you drive me to some unknown location that as far as I know no one else knows except for the limo driver I didn't see, and let you blindfold me. I'm starting to get a little more worried that I've made a huge mistake and you're actually a serial killer. You could be Ted Bundy, I mean obviously you're not Ted Bundy, but you could be a Ted Bundy kind of guy."

"Don't be dramatic." He grasped her shoulders, making her shuffle a little to the side until she was in the spot he wanted her to be in. She looked adorable with her hair swept up in a lackadaisical ponytail nervously chewing on her lip.

"Says the guy who has me blindfolded and not in a dirty way."

He reached forward and took the blindfold off of her head, using the moment it took her eyes to adjust to the bright lights shining down on them to place her glasses back on her face before stepping aside to let her see just where he'd brought her.

Her face scrunched up in confusion at first before a shrill squeak rang out through the air and her eyes went as wide as plates before drifting down to the large tank of water in front of them and the dolphin swimming around in it. "Is that-? Did you-? Oliver?" Her hand was clutching the top of her tank top, head whipping wildly between Oliver and the dolphin trainer who was standing on the edge of aquarium.

"You have an hour and the entire place to yourself," he told her.

"Are you serious? Because if you're not I can't be held responsible for my actions." She sounded so serious, complete with a stern pointed finger, that he had to cover his laugh with a cough.

"I'm very serious. Now get over there and go meet some dolphins, you're wasting time."

She scurried away from him, quickly engaging in excited chatter with the dolphin trainer who looked a little taken aback by Felicity's sheer enthusiasm. This was so worth all the trouble he'd gone through today. He'd seen how disappointed she'd been when she'd seen the wedding itinerary and that look had burrowed it's way under his skin, he'd had to do something to fix it. As he watched her, watched the first moment she'd crouched down and touched the dolphin, watched her eyes glow with joy and amazement, it hit him. Actually, it didn't just hit him, it slammed into him with the force of a freight train. He was in love with her. He loved her. It was the truest thing he'd ever felt and though it was terrifying, it was the most exhilarating thing he'd ever. Their eyes met as Stephanie handed her a life jacket and they both grinned so hard their faces hurt.

"You're boyfriend really cares about you. We've never had a private nighttime session, I don't know what kind of strings he pulled but if someone did this for me, I'd marry them on the spot," Stephanie the trainer told Felicity as she made sure the life jacket was secure.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"He's not?" Stephanie asked before letting out a low whistle. "Even if he isn't, he's still a better boyfriend than anyone I've ever dated."

She couldn't believe it herself. Nobody had ever done anything like this for her and it made her so happy that she wanted to burst into tears. "What are you doing?" she called over to him where he was still standing in the same spot, arms crossed and muscles straining against his blue t-shirt, watching her with a beaming smile. "Get over here, you'll regret it if you pass up the chance to do this." Her breath hitched as she realized how true her words were, scared that she was going to regret not taking the leap with Oliver. Because this wasn't the time and because she didn't want to think about it, she said, "I mean, come on, it's dolphins!"

Oliver chuckled and strode over to her. "You're right," he said as he approached, brushing against her arm as he came to a stop. "I don't want to miss this." The words were innocent but his eyes weren't, telegraphing how he really felt without speaking. He didn't say how he felt but by leaving his face open and unguarded, yet not quite vulnerable, he put it out there for her to see without need for reciprocation.

"This is incredible," she told him in a hushed whisper.

His hand found her lower back, the weight of it familiar and strange at the same time. "I'm glad you like it," he murmured in her ear. Stephanie handed him a life jacket but he didn't take it, waving her off. "No, I'm good."

"What are you scared to climb into a giant water tank with a dolphin? I guess I didn't think Oliver Queen would be scared of anything," she said in feigned innocence.

"I see what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. The only thing I'm scared of is responsibility."

"Ha," she barked. "Prove it."

He stared her down for a minute but she didn't back down, her eyes challenging him until he took the life jacket from Stephanie. "You're on."

The entire car ride home Felicity rehashed every second of their dolphin encounter with unbridled glee but Oliver had a hard time paying attention to what she was saying since her small hands kept touching him. First his shoulder, then his arm, then his knee, then his shoulder again, constant, setting his blood on fire with every touch. By the time they pulled up to the resort and stepped out into the warm air, Oliver had to suck in a large breath, filling his lungs and trying to clear his head from the strange haziness that had grown over the drive. He didn't know if it was her touch combined with his realization that he loved her that was the cause of the disorientation but it was making it hard to concentrate. Somehow they made it up to their floor, stopping at the door to her room that was three away from his.

"Oliver, thank you so much. I think this might be the best night I've ever had. No one's ever done anything like that for me ever, you're amazing, I'm never going to forget this."

"I know how bad you wanted this. I couldn't let you leave without getting to meet some dolphins." He tried to make it sound lighthearted but it was impossible, too many emotions and feelings rolling through him.

"Thank you," she told him, staring up at him with wide and sincere eyes.

Oh god, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to pull her close, feel her body mold into his, he wanted to take her hair out of it's elastic and bury his hands in it while he devoured her mouth. But he couldn't. If they kissed, he didn't think he'd have the strength to stop it if she didn't and he wanted her to be sure. Tonight wasn't the night so instead, his hand reached up, cradling the back of her neck as he pressed his lips to her forehead, lingering longer than he should have. "Good night, Felicity."

"Good night, Oliver," she whispered to his back as he struggled to make it to his room without turning back around.

* * *

The next morning, Oliver, Felicity, Laurel, Tommy, Sara, Nyssa, Thea, Roy, Lyla, and John all joined up for their yacht tour prior to the rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow was the wedding and everyone was flying back out the day after, and this was the last chance for the wedding party to have a little fun before the craziness that was bound to ensue tomorrow.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Sara said as she took a seat and stared down at the gorgeous clear blue water.

"We haven't even started moving yet," Laurel remarked.

"Yeah, well, I can still feel it. It's going to happen."

"If you don't want to do this, this is your last chance to get off the boat," Tommy told her before going to talk to the Captain.

She stared long and hard at the docks while Nyssa rubbed her back. "No," she finally answered. "I'm staying."

"Want to sit at the front with me?" Oliver asked Felicity. She nodded and let him take her hand, leading her to the bough of the yacht.

She was still on cloud nine from last night and she hadn't slept a wink, too busy soaking in her ecstatic mood to even give sleep an honest try. She'd also spent most of the night justifying staying in Starling City, deciding that she couldn't do it, she couldn't go to Gotham and leave Oliver behind. She needed him, needed him in her life, needed him like she needed air, and she couldn't leave him. Maybe she was destined to be her mom but maybe she wasn't. Maybe this would work out and they would live happily ever after, growing old together as they watched their children grow. As she looked at Oliver and his arm rested around her waist as the yacht started to move through the picturesque scene, it was startlingly easy to believe that they could have that life together.

Oliver got her attention, pointing towards the water where she could see schools of colorful fish swimming as the yacht moved along at a leisurely pace. She watched enthralled, subconsciously snuggling into Oliver as his arm moved to hang off of her shoulder pulling her closer, and she thought he may have pressed a soft kiss to her head. They stayed like that for a long while, though it only felt like mere moments, watching the sea life and quietly enjoying each others presence. They didn't need to speak to be content and that was exactly what Felicity felt. Oliver gave her a peacefulness that she'd never had and when she was with him, it felt like the entire world fell away, leaving just the two of them.

"I hate to break up the lovefest but can I talk to Felicity for a second?" Sara asked as she joined them, both of them too wrapped up in the moment to notice her approaching.

"Of course," Oliver said, moving away from Felicity, leaving her feeling strangely empty. "I need to talk to Tommy anyways. Find me when you're done?" He asked Felicity.

"Don't worry, Ollie, I won't keep her for too long and then you can go back to canoodling."

Felicity playfully smacked her arm and rolled her eyes, sharing a guilty smile with Oliver.

"There's nothing going on between us. It'll never happen. We can't be together," Sara taunted Felicity once Oliver was out of earshot.

"Mind your own business, little Lance," she shot back.

"Don't call me that," she grumbled. "No but seriously, what is going on? What was his big surprise?"

"We had a private night session at the aquarium."

"The aquarium?" She asked in confusion before understanding dawned. "He took you to swim with dolphins?"

"Yep," she said, smacking her lips on the p.

"No wonder you guys are all over each other today? Did you—?"

"No," Felicity quickly shot her down. "He walked me back to my room and then went to his own. We slept alone in our own beds."

"Wow, I can't believe you didn't jump his bones after that."

"Oh I would have if he made a move but all he did was kiss my forehead."

Sara groaned and let her head fall dramatically into her hands. "You guys are killing me."

"Stop being so invested in my sex life then. You don't see me grilling you about yours and Nyssa's."

"Don't pretend like you didn't hound Nyssa for details when we first got together. And speaking of Nyssa, will you please tell me why you guys are pissed at each other? I tried to get her to tell me all night but she just kept telling me that I had to ask you."

"It's nothing, really. Don't worry, I'll talk to her and fix it." She'd tell her tonight that she was staying in Starling City and no one would have to be the wiser that she'd almost left. She glanced around Sara to find Oliver talking to Tommy but he didn't seem to be paying attention to whatever Tommy was saying as he was too busy watching her.

"You guys are too much. I'll let you get back to fawning over each other."

An hour into the tour, the captain set the anchor down at a sandbar, giving everyone a chance to jump in and enjoy the water. Lyla, Laurel, and Nyssa chose not to, laying out on the upper deck to sunbathe. Felicity was clad in her pink string bikini that left little to the imagination but she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to swim.

Oliver climbed back up into the boat, water dripping off of his immaculate torso. He walked over to her with a devilish grin on his face and Felicity became apprehensive.

"Oliver," she warned. "Don't even think about it."

He didn't stop, simply grinned bigger as he stalked towards her.

She was standing on the edge, nowhere to go but the water. "Oliver!" She squealed as he rushed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and jumping into the water, taking her with him.

She plunged into the surprisingly warm water and came up sputtering, finding that Oliver was already swimming away from her, heading towards the other side of the boat. She swam after him, determined to get payback, but when she rounded the corner, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Boo," he whispered in her ear, scaring her as he swam up behind her.

She yelped and spun around, splashing water at him, giggling. They were so close and it only felt natural to wrap her arms around his neck as her legs did the same with his waist and his arms found their rightful home at her waist. Their laughter slowly died down as they realized the precarious position they were in. He reached up and smoothed her hair back out of her face as she bit her lip at the contact. She watched his eyes drift down to her lips and she leaned forward, her eyes slipping shut as their lips came together.

It was a kiss that started slow and sweet, building with every ministration of his tongue against hers. She moaned into his mouth as he pulled her closer, grounding her against the weightless feel of the water.

"Aw, come on you two, get a room, I don't want to see that," Thea's voice rang out, breaking the moment.

Felicity swam away from Oliver but she was still close enough for her leg to brush against his underneath the water. They'd gained an audience and Felicity could feel Nyssa's disapproving glare from the boat.

"I thought little sisters were supposed to get less annoying when they got older," Oliver teased before swimming over to Thea and dunking her underneath the water.

"If that's the case, someone should tell Sara," Laurel called out as she leaned against the railing.

"Watch it, sis, or I will climb up there and throw you in the water."

Laurel held her hands up in surrender and backed up from the railing, not willing to risk it. "You guys should get out soon. We need to head back from the mainland and make sure things are going according to plan."

"Aw, five more minutes, Mom," Oliver teased.

"Shut up, Ollie, or I'll tell your mom that you weren't listening to the bride."

"Tattletale," he said, climbing up the ladder and back onto the boat.

Felicity was glad she wasn't leaving, these were the people she was meant to be with. They were her family and family was supposed to stick together. She wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

The rehearsal dinner was going off without a hitch and Felicity was enjoying herself seated between Oliver and Sara. They had barely left each others sides all day and it was perfect. This entire trip was perfect. Except for the fact that Nyssa had barely spoken to her, an unusual bite to her words when she did. Sara was no longer the only one who'd noticed it, Oliver broaching the subject right after they'd done a run through of the wedding ceremony. She'd brushed him off and avoided the subject, just as she had with Sara. Felicity had tried more than once today to try and talk to Nyssa to tell her that she wasn't leaving but it was hard when she was studiously avoiding Felicity.

Someone tapped their knife against their champagne glass and Quentin Lance rose to his feet. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie which was looking a little disheveled. "If I could have everyone's attention for a moment." He waited to continue until the large table fell sufficiently quiet. "Uh, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Quentin Lance, father of the bride. I've been blessed with two amazing daughters and as much as it's going to break my heart to give my oldest daughter away at the altar tomorrow, I could not be happier for her. If you would have told me when these crazy kids were in high school that Laurel would marry Tommy Merlyn, I would've locked you up on principle, but the Tommy that is here today is a very different one. He came to me before proposing to Laurel to ask my permission and for those of you who know how fiercely protective I am of my girls, know that was not an easy thing for him to do. To me, that proved more than I already knew that this is the right man for her. He's brave and loyal and I know he will spend the rest of his life treating my princess the way she deserves to be treated." He paused to raise his glass to Tommy before turning to Laurel, features softening. "I remember bringing you home from the hospital and how I was terrified and overjoyed at the same time. I've watched you grow into an amazing woman, one who is stubborn and caring and someone who always wants the best for her loved ones. I couldn't be more proud of you, Laurel. I love you."

Laurel wiped a tear away and got to her feet, hugging Quentin tightly as the table cheered and toasted the happy couple. "I love you, Daddy."

Oliver's hand slid into Felicity's and she let him, their hands clasped together and resting against her thigh as they shared a smile.

"I'd like to say a few words, too, if that's okay with the bride and groom?" A tall older man asked as he approached the table. Felicity had never seen him before but if Tommy's expression and Oliver's hand tightening around hers were any indication, this was Malcolm Merlyn.

Tommy considered for a moment while the table waited with bated breath to see how this would play out. Finally, Tommy gave a tight nod, avoiding looking towards his father.

Malcolm stood awkwardly by Tommy, facing the rest of the table and looking like he'd feel more comfortable in front of a firing squad. "I haven't always been the best father, something I'm sure my son would have no qualms telling you, and I know that money can't make up for all the things I screwed up. My wife, Rebecca, passed when Tommy was very young, and I didn't hold up my end of the bargain after she died, choosing to allow my own pain to swallow me up instead of making sure my son was okay. Thankfully for Tommy, there were plenty of people willing to step in and pick up my slack, namely the Queens and the Lances. I know that the man my son has become is in large part thanks to you and I hope that you feel as proud of him as I do. I won't always make the right choices and I can't promise that I won't disappoint you but I do promise that I will do the best I can to be the father you deserve. Not only to Tommy but also my wonderful soon-to-be daughter, Laurel. You two are incredibly lucky to have found each other in this world and I hope you always remember how lucky you truly are. I hope you have a long and happy life full of love and I can't wait to spoil my future grandchildren. Congratulations to the happy couple!" He held a champagne glass he'd picked up at some point and the rest of the table toasted while watching Tommy, whose face hadn't changed at all during that speech.

It wasn't until Tommy got to his feet and hugged Malcolm in a rare display of father/son affection that some around the table became visibly emotional.

Nyssa seized the opportunity to stand up and tap Felicity on the shoulder. "Can we talk?" People were starting to drift away from the table, done with their meal, and wanting to give Tommy and Malcolm some space.

Felicity nodded and Nyssa didn't wait for her, disappearing from the outdoor patio back into the resort. She could feel Sara's eyes burning into her and Felicity lowered her voice so the rest of the table didn't hear. "I'll fix it."

"You better," Sara grumbled.

Felicity turned to Oliver, reluctantly separating their hands. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the wedding."

He nodded and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek while under the watchful gaze of Moira Queen. The chaste display was nothing compared to the steamy gaze he leveled her with, making her stomach erupt in butterflies.

She nearly stumbled walking away from the table but recovered and scurried out, finding that Nyssa was no where in sight when she entered the building. "Nyssa?"

She popped up, startling Felicity, and grabbing her wrist, dragging her through the lobby and out a door that led into a more secluded area. "What are you doing, Felicity?" She hissed.

"What are you so worked up about?"

She snorted in disbelief, angrily crossing her arms. "I'm talking about you having a date with Oliver and making out with him and holding hands under the table without telling him that you're moving to Gotham."

Oh. That. "Actually, I'm not. I decided to stay in Starling."

Instead of the excitement Felicity pictured her experiencing, Nyssa instead turned pensive, looking no happier than she had when she thought Felicity was leaving. "When did you decide this?" Nyssa asked carefully.

"Last night."

Nyssa shook her head, looking away from Felicity as she blew a piece of hair out of her face. "Have you told Lucius Fox yet?"

"No, I'm going to call him once we get back to Starling."

"I want to be happy for you, Felicity, I really do, but I don't believe you. I think it's easy to make the decision while you're in paradise surrounded by the love and good feelings that come with having a wedding, but can you guarantee that you're going to be able to make that call when we get back to Starling? Are you going to feel the same way when you're knee deep in real life and not some fantasy?"

Felicity's mouth opened and closed a few times before she accepted that she didn't know what to say. Nyssa had a good point as much as she hated to admit it. She'd made this decision while she was riding the high from Oliver's sweet gesture. Would she still feel the same when she was working in a building with his name on it? Would she actually be able to call Lucius and tell him she changed her mind? And just like that, her good mood evaporated.

"Oh god, you're right."

Nyssa softened a bit at Felicity's despondent tone. "You've always been the girl who knows what she wants and goes for it so I get that you don't know which way to turn on this, but I just don't want anyone to get their feelings hurt."

"Like I said, Nyssa, you're right. Three days ago I was convinced that Gotham was the right decision but I don't know what the right decision is anymore."

"Then you need to wait until you get home to make that decision clearly. Which means that you need to stop giving Oliver hope until you've made up your mind for good."

Felicity's shoulders sagged. "What should I do?"

Nyssa frowned and stepped forward, pulling Felicity into a hug. "Do whatever is right for you and know that I'll have your back no matter what you choose."

"Even if I choose Gotham?"

"Felicity, I was only upset because you didn't think you could talk to me about this until you'd already made the call and you know how much I hate keeping secrets from Sara."

"So we're good?" Felicity asked hopefully as she stepped out of Nyssa's embrace.

"We're family," she assured her. "Now I better get back to Sara before she hunts me down."

Felicity hung around after she left to give herself a moment to collect her thoughts before going back to her room. Before she could go back in, she heard sniffling coming from the other side of the building and out of curiosity, she peeked around the corner, finding Thea hunched over on a stone bench, wiping tears from her face. "Thea? Are you okay?" She asked quietly, trying not to startle the young girl.

She shot up, looking embarrassed. "I'm fine."

Felicity tilted her head before sitting on the bench and patting the now empty spot next to her. Thea thought for a second before sitting down. "You don't want to hear about my problems," Thea said sullenly.

"Yes, I do. You'd actually be doing me a favor and distracting me from my problems."

"It's just—it was hard to hear Malcolm go on about how he's going to try better as Tommy's father and it's all just a reminder that I was lied to my entire life and that my father wasn't my real father. And Malcolm's made no effort to get to know me and I don't even know if I want to get to know him. It's just a mess."

"I get it. I haven't heard from my dad since he moved to Hawaii with his secretary when I was seven."

"Really?" Thea asked as she tucked her short hair behind her ear.

"Yep. I did get a birthday card when I was eight but that's it. And maybe you'll never have a relationship with Malcolm but that's his loss. Family isn't always blood, sometimes it's just the people who love you unconditionally. I might not know you very well but I know that there are plenty of people in your life who do love you unconditionally."

"You know what? You're right. I have my mom, Oliver, Walter, and I had Robert Queen who will always be my dad, so if Malcolm doesn't want to be in my life, he's the one missing out."

"You're right, Thea. I _am_ the one missing out and that's a situation I'd like to remedy," Malcolm said, emerging from the shadows. "I failed you, Thea, and I don't mean by not being there while you were growing up. I had no clue you were my child and Robert was an amazing father to you but I should have stepped up when I learned the truth. The way you reacted to the news, I thought you hated me, and I thought it would be best if I stayed out of your life. I was wrong. I was using that as an excuse so I didn't have to face the fact that I failed as a parent. I want to fix that, if you'll let me."

Thea was doing her best to project that she couldn't care less but Felicity could see the hope building in her. She hoped Malcolm didn't let her down but even if he did, there would be plenty of people to help her pick up the pieces. "Are you okay if I leave?" Felicity asked Thea.

"I'll be fine. Thanks, Felicity. Again." Thea lunged at her for a quick hug but thankfully Felicity remembered this time and braced for it.

She went back into the resort, leaving Thea and Malcolm to what was surely going to be an awkward and strained conversation. Her steps were heavy as she made her way back to her hotel room. Only an hour ago, she'd felt on top of the world but her brief talk with Nyssa had brought her crashing back down to earth. The only thing she wanted right now was a bed and some clarity and she was only going to get one of those things tonight.

* * *

AN- There are only three chapters left and I hope that you guys really like the next 3. Thank you for your reviews, follows, and faves. Don't forget to let me know what you guys think, what scenes you like, what scenes you don't, I love hearing what you think. And I think you guys are really going to enjoy tomorrow's chapter ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Put the coffee down, Laurel," Sara warned her sister in a low voice.

"This is _my_ wedding day and if I want to have eighteen cups of coffee, I will!" Laurel chugged her coffee defiantly, risking a stain on her strapless white wedding dress.

Sara fumed and reached for the mug which Laurel quickly yanked back, making the liquid slosh dangerously towards the edges. Nyssa, Thea, and Lyla stood off to the side of the hotel room they had commandeered to get ready in, not wanting to interfere in the sisterly squabble. Felicity, meanwhile, lingered around the edges, trying to find the proper moment to step in and take the coffee cup before irretrievable damage was done to the dress.

"Do you not remember when you did a play your freshman year of high school?" Sara asked. "You drank so much coffee before because you were super nervous that you completely bungled your lines and had to run off stage early because you had to pee so bad. You wouldn't come out of your room for an entire day you were so embarrassed. Do you want the same thing to happen on your wedding day? Do you want to have to run out on the middle of the ceremony to go pee in the ocean? Is that really how you want to remember what's supposed to be the best day of your life? Or do you want to listen to your sister for once in your life and hand over the damn coffee?"

Laurel rolled her eyes but reluctantly gave the coffee to Felicity, crossing her arms and frowning like a petulant child who didn't get her way.

"I'll be honest, I expected you to be a complete bridezilla and I've been delightfully surprised to find that while you've micromanaged every little detail of this wedding, that you've stayed fairly levelheaded throughout this whole process. So don't change that by going off the rails today," Sara said.

"You're right, you're so right," Laurel said as she shook arms out, trying to rid herself of her nerves. "How much time do we have left?"

"Fifteen minutes," Felicity replied. "You might be the first bride ever to be ready early in the history of all weddings."

"I'm ready. I mean, I'm nervous but I'm not nervous nervous, you know? I want the ceremony to go smoothly but I know that no matter what, at the end of the day I'm going to be married to my best friend."

Sara sniffled and tried to use her hair to cover her face. Felicity made eye contact with Nyssa over Sara's head to acknowledge that she'd be paying her a twenty after the ceremony because Felicity had wrongly thought Laurel would be the first to cry.

"What's wrong, Sara?" Laurel asked.

"It's nothing. I'm just so happy for you and I'm happy I get to be here for this. I know things haven't always been easy for us but this is the best our relationship has ever been and I'm so excited that I get to stand up there with you today."

Laurel enveloped her sister in a bear hug and it wasn't long before a teary Thea couldn't resist the appeal of a hug, throwing herself against the sisters who laughed as they pulled her in. Felicity waited for a minute before joking, "If you guys snot and cry all over each other, we're going to be in here for another hour redoing makeup."

"Oh god, she's right," Laurel exclaimed as she pushed her sister away from her.

The women laughed and joked some more but it was subdued, an anxious energy filling the room as the time drew closer. When it came time for the wedding procession, they'd mixed things up a bit since the bridesmaid and groomsmen were uneven and Laurel wanted everyone and Tommy didn't want to have people he wasn't close to up there so the first to go were Nyssa and Sara. Next up, in what Felicity couldn't help but feel was a subtle maneuver of Laurel and Tommy, were Oliver and Felicity which meant that Thea and Lyla could walk with their respective partners.

The second she took his arm and he looked down at her, her heart did a weird little flip and she had a hard time concentrating walking down the strip of beach that was serving as an aisle. A problem that was further exacerbated once she realized that they were walking down the aisle together. Her eyes widened and she slowly looked up at him, only for the briefest of glances, catching him giving her a soft smile. They made it to the front and parted ways, going to their own sides as the wedding proceeded on but Felicity couldn't pay attention for the life of her, too busy sneaking glances at Oliver. She tuned back in some time during Tommy's vow's, silently chastising herself for missing Laurel's, too caught up in pining for Oliver from afar.

"Laurel Lance," he began, smiling softly at her. There was a sereneness to the both of them as they stood under the white arch that was decorated with brightly colored flowers. With the sun setting over the ocean behind them and all of their loved ones watching from white chairs placed in the sands, it was a picturesque setting. "I've loved you for as long as I can remember and I can remember the first day I met you in kindergarten. You were wearing a polka dot dress with your hair up in pigtails and I've loved you ever since. You are strong and stubborn and you push me to be better. You've made me a better man, a man who deserves your love, because you, Laurel, are the most compassionate and caring person I know. You deserve a man who will do anything he can to keep you safe and make you happy and I want to be that man for the rest of our lives. I will spend every day we have together on this earth proving that to you, proving just how much I love because you are the one. You're my soul mate and my other half, there is no life without you, and I can't wait to be your husband. I love you."

Laurel and a large portion of the guests were visibly moved and so was Felicity but for different reasons. As Tommy had told Laurel exactly how much he loved her, Felicity realized just how much she loved Oliver. She was head over heels in love with Oliver and to say anything else would be a lie. It was the most terrifying thought she'd ever had.

* * *

"I can't believe she actually married you," Oliver teased Tommy as they stood off to the side of the dance floor. The reception was in full swing, the floor packed with happy people dancing their hearts out, but Oliver only had eyes for Felicity, who was currently dancing up a storm with Sara.

"Me neither, if I'm honest. I wasn't convinced it was going to happen until we were walking away from the altar." They'd had a gorgeous beach wedding, successfully making a good majority of their family openly weep. Even Malcolm Merlyn's eyes had watered a bit as Laurel and Tommy had proclaimed their love for each other.

Oliver may or may not have come dangerously close to doing the same while he'd been giving his best man speech at the beginning of the reception. "So you and Malcolm seem okay after last night." Malcolm had left almost immediately after the ceremony but not before pulling Tommy and Thea aside for a private chat.

"Yeah, we'll see how it goes but he seems to genuinely mean it this time. Thea's already warming up to him, I think."

"Well, I hope for both of your sake's that he means it this time. Thea's had enough hardship in her life and she doesn't need to be set up for disappointment, that's happened enough throughout her life."

"You have to remember that she's eighteen now and you can't protect her from everything," Tommy reminded him.

"Doesn't mean I can't try," Oliver responded quietly.

"That's a problem for another day. Today is my wedding and there will be no moping around."

Oliver chuckled, taking a drink from his bottle of beer, draining the last dregs of it. "I won't argue with that."

"Which means you need to go ask Felicity to dance before your staring scares her off."

Oliver would agree if he wasn't scared that he already had. He didn't know what had happened between the rehearsal dinner and this morning but he knew that she was avoiding him. He'd briefly considered asking Nyssa since it was after she talked to Felicity that everything changed. He felt like any progress they'd made this week had been wiped clean and he was starting to think that she was never going to come around. He slapped Tommy on the shoulder before he walked away, cutting through the crowd and making a beeline towards Felicity as a slow song began to play.

He tapped her on her shoulder that was left bare from her strapless, pale pink bridesmaid dress that stopped right at her knee, leaving just enough leg exposed. "May I have this dance?" He whispered in her ear.

He could see the hesitation in her eyes and it felt like a small eternity before she finally nodded, letting him lead her away from Sara to an empty space on the dance floor.

Felicity wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head against his chest, much like the night by the campfire, except she was sober this time around. As the singer crooned about giving someone _All of Me, _Felicity felt a melancholia seep into her bones. Standing in his arms, swaying to the music felt so natural and right yet an impossibility. She was never going to be able to give all of herself to Oliver and regardless of how he thought he felt, she had a suspicion Oliver couldn't either. She couldn't compromise who she was and she knew that she had to take this job. This could be the last time they were like this, holding each other and feeling like the only two people in the world. That thought made her hold her arms around him tighter and tears began to threaten but she held them back.

She would tell him the truth when they were in Starling but she wasn't going to tell him that she loved him. That wouldn't do either of them any good because she had to leave, she couldn't allow the realization she'd had during the wedding to hold her back from what she needed in her life. When she was standing up there today, listening to Tommy and Laurel bare their souls, she'd looked at Oliver and she'd known. She knew that she loved him, circumstances be damned, but she also knew from watching her mother, that love wasn't always the end all, be all, that it felt like. It made her feel like a coward but she was doing what she thought was right for her. Maybe she'd never find another person that made her feel the way Oliver did but she'd never feel the pain her mom felt, she'd never give up a life-changing opportunity simply because she thought she was in love.

"I've had an amazing time this week," he murmured into her ear and it felt like an emotional gut punch to hear the happiness in his voice.

"Me too," she whispered, hoping he wouldn't say anything else.

"It's not even just this last week. Since I've met you, things have changed in the most incredible ways. I never thought I could feel this way but when I'm with you, Felicity, I—"

"Oliver," she cut him off, managing to talk past the sob building in her throat. This was too much, she couldn't pretend they were going to live happily ever after and she couldn't pretend that she didn't have feelings. Or at least feelings that wanted to swallow her up whole. "I can't do this," she told him as tears finally slid down her face. "I'm sorry."

She pulled away from him and ducked her face as she dashed out of the reception hall, towards the safety of the elevators that would take her to her hotel room.

"Felicity!" Oliver called after her but it was too late, she was already out of sight. He was left standing with his hands out as if he was still holding her and he willed himself to move, to go after her or escape the stares and hushed whispers, he didn't know. He couldn't though, he was frozen to the spot by confusion and frustration. He wished she would talk to him instead of keeping it all bottled up inside and running away from him.

Nyssa appeared at his side, grabbing his elbow and sending death glares to the people brave enough to keep staring. "We have to talk."

"Now isn't the time, Nyssa," he growled.

"Now is the perfect time." She leveled him with a look that helped him understand why Tommy was afraid of this woman. "Trust me, Oliver, you're going to want to hear what I have to say."

He pulled his arm away from her and sighed wearily before gesturing for her to lead the way. They didn't go far, stepping just outside the ballroom and away from prying ears. Nyssa fidgeted for a moment, constantly checking to see if someone was listening and Oliver could tell that she was wrestling with something. "What is it?"

"Felicity was offered a job at Wayne Enterprises and she took it. She's moving to Gotham. She was waiting to tell everybody until after the wedding."

Oliver's ears starting to buzz and confusion clouded his head. "What are you talking about? She wouldn't do that." He'd foolishly thought things had changed between them this week because she was coming around not because she was leaving. She was leaving him? How was this possible? He'd prepared himself for her romantic rejection but he thought she'd still be in his life, that he'd still be able to see her whenever he wanted. He never imagined that he could lose her completely.

"She took the job last Friday. You have to tell her how you feel, Oliver. I wasn't supposed to tell you this but I can't stand back and watch my friend make a giant mistake because she's scared of history repeating itself."

She was right. It was now or never and Oliver wasn't going to live with the regret of not being honest with her, regardless of how she felt. "Thanks, Nyssa," he said as he sprinted away to catch an elevator.

He couldn't believe that she'd kept this from him, he'd really thought that she had feelings for him. Maybe she didn't love him like he loved her but she had to feel something. The longer the elevator ride took, the more frustrated he became with her so by the time he reached the fifth floor, he was steaming as he stormed towards her room. He pounded on the door with a closed fist, waiting with his hands on his hips as he heard her small feet pad towards the door. It swung open and she looked shocked to see him. She hadn't changed out of her bridesmaid dress but her hair was disheveled, her eyes rimmed red and her makeup smeared from crying. His irritation softened but not enough to deter him from why he'd rushed up here.

"Oliver, what are doing here?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked through a strangled voice.

She crossed her arms and looked anywhere but him, a dead giveaway of her guilt. "What are you talking about?"

"Is that how you're really going to play this?" He asked in a disbelieving whisper. "You really think that you can run away to Gotham without telling me? You think I'm going to let you walk away from me without a fight?"

She reached forward and balled her fist up in his suit jacket before yanking him into her room. She leaned out the door, tossing her head back and forth to make sure the hallway was empty. The door closed with a thud behind her and she moved around Oliver, putting some distance between them as she stood by the window, arms folded underneath her breasts. "I was going to tell you."

"When?" He shot back. "When you were on the plane to Gotham and it was too late for me to do anything?"

"It's already too late!"

He shook his head, refusing to accept it. "Don't say that."

"I've already called Lucius Fox. I'll be starting at the end of the month."

"Then call him back and tell him you changed your mind!"

"I can't, Oliver! It's done."

"No, it's not. You can change your mind, you're just afraid to," he challenged.

"I already did once," she admitted. "But I realized that this isn't an opportunity I can turn down."

"If you change it once, you can change it again."

"It's not that simple, Oliver." She started to gnaw on her lip as she paced by the window. "After you took me to the aquarium, I really thought I could stay. I was going to call Lucius when we got back to Starling and tell him I couldn't leave but I can't make that kind of decision while I'm here. This week was a fantasy, not real life, I got caught up in things and it blinded me from seeing what I needed to do."

"I think you have that mixed up. This week wasn't a fantasy, it didn't blind you, it clarified things. Just like it did for me." He took a step closer to her, making her freeze in place. "This week opened my eyes, Felicity. I can't live without you and I don't want to. I need you, I need you in Starling City, I need you to be with me. Don't go to Gotham."

"Are you asking me to stay?" She asked softly.

He took another step toward her. "Yes. Stay, Felicity."

"Oliver, I can't make a decision based on my love life. My mom did that. She had a chance to follow her dreams but she gave them up to be with my father, a man who abandoned her. I won't be her."

"You're not your mom, Felicity, and I'm not your father." He took another step towards her. One more and he could touch her. "I can't guarantee that this will work but I can guarantee I won't do what he did to her."

"Then don't ask me to give up my dream."

"Stop using some vague dream to keep us away from each other. You can be successful whether you're at Wayne Enterprises or Queen Consolidated. I don't want you to give up your career, I just want you to give us a chance."

"I can't—"

"Don't," he snapped. "Don't say it." He took that final step, seizing Felicity's face as his lips crashed into hers. He'd never told a woman that he loved her before and the words wouldn't come to him to convey how he felt without saying those three little words so he was going to show her. He was going to pour every unsaid feeling into her because at the end of the day, it wasn't the words that mattered. It was actions that counted and he was going to show her exactly how he felt.

His hands slid back into her loose hair, tangling them into it as his mouth attacked hers hungrily. She wasn't close enough to him, it felt like there was an ocean of space between them even as she returned his kiss with equal fervor. He knew she felt the same as her fingers frantically started to unbutton his shirt, sliding her hands into the opening to feel his bare skin against hers, and the sensation shot through him, his nerve endings on fire everywhere she touched him. She reached up to push his suit jacket off of his shoulders, sending it to the floor as one of his hands trailed down her back, stopping just before it reached her ass, and pulling her closer to him as he ground his hips into hers, eliciting a heady moan from her.

She pulled his shirt up, freeing it from the waistband where it was tucked in, and pushed it off his body where it joined his jacket, ripping off two buttons in the process. He managed to stop himself but he didn't move away from here. "Are you sure this is what you want?" There would be no coming back from this and he wanted to make sure she wanted this one hundred percent before they went any farther.

"Yes," she whispered vehemently as her fingers dug into his bare skin. "Please, Oliver," she whimpered as she pressed her breasts against his bare chest.

That was all he need to hear before his mouth seized hers once again and his hand that wasn't wrapped in her hair, tilting her head back, slowly undid the zipper of her dress until it slid down, pooling at her feet. He broke away for a second to admire her shapely curves that were encased in a strapless peach bra and very small matching panties. She fidgeted under his intense gaze and he used his knuckle to lift her chin up, making sure she was watching his eyes to see his sincerity. "You're beautiful, Felicity. I could spend my entire life staring at you." He caressed her face lovingly, his chest feeling like it was going to burst from the emotions rolling through it. "I love you." He hadn't meant to say it but the words rolled off of his tongue unbidden.

Felicity cradled his face, running her thumb across his rough jaw before she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him tenderly. Emotion bubbled up in his chest and he kissed her slowly, savoring this feeling. Her lips parted and he deepened the kiss, his hands sliding down her body, touching as much of her skin as he could before he cupped her ass and picked her up, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist. He took three steps until his knees bumped the end of the bed and he leaned over, setting her down carefully. He grabbed her waist and scooted her up until she was in the middle of the bed, giving him enough room to kneel over her as he finally broke their kiss. Felicity made a noise of protest and Oliver chuckled, a deep rumble in his chest, as his lips found a new home underneath her left ear, right under her jaw. He nipped, licked, and sucked his way from her earlobe, along her jaw, down her neck to her collarbone before trailing his tongue down the middle of her chest until he came to the dip between her breasts. In a flash, he undid her bra and tossed it off the bed where it joined the rest of their discarded clothes, freeing her full breasts. His right hand cupped her breast, kneading it, as his mouth encircled the nipple of her other breast, his tongue flicking it until it was a hard peak that his teeth could lightly graze against as her hips rose underneath him, rubbing against his hardened member. He gasped, his mouth releasing her nipple as her movement caught him off guard. He looked up at her and she was watching him with clouded eyes, a wicked grin on her face.

He returned his attention back to her breast but used one of his hands to caress the side of her body, alternating between feather-light touches and desperate grasps. He reached between them to rub his hand against the front of her panties, discovering that the flimsy material was soaked with her pleasure and he drew a gasp from her as he increased the pressure, finding her sweet spot and using his palm to rub against it in slow, lazy circles. Her hips bucked and her breathing sped up as she drew closer to release. He abruptly moved his hand and head away from her body before moving down her body, using a combination of teeth and fingers to remove her panties, leaving her gloriously naked beneath him. He spared a moment to take her in, burning the memory of her like this, exposed curves and face flushed with pleasure, into his mind. He lowered his head to her sex, his tongue licking her slit in one fluid stroke, and he was rewarded with her sharp intake of breath and the sweet taste of her. While he drove her wild with his tongue, he slowly inserted one finger and then another, moving in and out faster and faster until her hips were rising off the bed, strangled cries of pleasure coming from her as her hand ran through his hair. Her legs were quivering and he knew she was close so he intensified his efforts until a cry tore from her throat and she shook violently beneath him.

He shed his pants and boxers in record time, using his arms to hold himself up so he could stare into her eyes as he sheathed himself in her as the last quakes of her orgasm rolled over her. He stayed still for a moment, giving her time to adjust to the feel of him and to give him time to pull himself back from the brink, nearly having gone over the edge when he plunged into her. They locked eyes as he pulled out of her tortuously slow before sliding back in at the same pace. His hands enveloped the sides of her head, holding her ever-so-gently as he placed a chaste kiss on her lips that was a stark contrast to what his hips were doing. It took everything he had in him to stop himself from telling her that he loved her over and over again. Their shaky breathing mixed as his pace picked up until they were slamming into each other as her hips rose up to meet his every thrust. Her fingernails dug into his back as she moaned his name and he knew she was close again. "Come for me, Felicity," he encouraged as he fought back his orgasm, wanting to make sure she went first.

"Oliver!" She called out as her walls tightened around him, making his own orgasm slam into him with the force of a freight train. Their respective orgasms consumed them until the room was quiet with only the sounds of their heavy breathing. Oliver pulled himself out of her and rolled off of her, sliding his arm underneath her shoulders to move her closer to him. She curled herself into his side, a perfect fit as her legs tangled between his and her head rested on his chest. They laid there in comfortable silence, his hand softly stroking her hair and her finger drawing absentminded designs on his bare chest. He didn't want to say anything to break the moment, worried that this would be the first and last time they would be together like this. Their conversation was long from over but Oliver selfishly wanted to forget about all of it for one night. He just wanted one night to forget about the real world, forget all the excuses Felicity had for why they couldn't be together, forget that he'd told someone he loved them for the first time and she never said it back. He knew Felicity cared about him but he didn't think that she loved him. Maybe if she did, it would be enough to keep her in Starling City.

Felicity shifted in his arms, pulling him out of the thoughts that were quickly putting a shadow on his earlier happiness, and started peppering his chest with light kisses, her hair brushing across his skin.

"What are you doing?" He murmured as her kisses started to go lower.

"I don't want to talk anymore, Oliver. We talk and screw things up and I want to enjoy this night." She moved lower, her bare breasts brushing against his dick and making him harden immediately at the sensation. She maneuvered until she was kneeling between his legs, her tongue darting out to trace his happy trail, and she stopped just short of his member, locking eyes with him as she hovered over it. "Do you have any objections?"

He shook his head, not trusting his voice. She grinned, eyes never leaving his as she slowly took him into her mouth, his hands fisting the sheets as her hot mouth enveloped him. He groaned and tossed his head back as her pace quickened, trying to keep his hips on the bed but he was losing the fight as her tongue flicked the head. "Fe-lic-i-ty," he moaned.

She looked up at him between his legs, hair mussed from earlier and lips tinged pink and shining with saliva, and he'd never been so viscerally turned on. "Come here," he whispered, needing to be inside her. She happily obliged, climbing on top, and lowering herself onto him, his fingers digging into her hips. She used his chest to hold herself up, her hips rising up and down in a steady rhythm and her muscles clenched and unclenched around him. He leaned up to take her nipple in his mouth and she tossed her head to the side, her hair sweeping across his rib cage. He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her still as he sat up, lifting her up for a second to let her legs wrap around his waist before lowering her back down. They clung to each other, and Oliver buried his face in her neck as they moved together, their orgasms building and building until they both exploded, clinging to each other for life as the pleasure rocked through them. They collapsed to the bed but neither made a move to separate, content to stay in this exact position as aftershocks rippled through them.

This was turning out to be one of the most incredible nights of Oliver's life and it wasn't over yet. They were just getting started.

* * *

It was some time around six in the morning by the time Oliver fell asleep but sleep wasn't going to come to Felicity, not even after that night. From the moment he'd kissed her tonight, they hadn't separated, moving from the bed to the shower back to the bed to the wooden desk they'd nearly broken before finally collapsing in bed again. There was something about the last time that shook her to the core. It had been tender and slow, both of their walls completely broken down around them and everything out in the open to see, complete vulnerability on both parts. She'd never had sex like that in her life and it left her feeling emotionally raw. Which was why she had to leave.

Jesus, she loved him so much it was painful and it terrified her, more than anything ever had. She could lose herself in him, she could give up everything for just one more night like that, and that was why she couldn't stay. She couldn't do this, she couldn't risk the pain and regret, so she quietly tiptoed through the room to make sure she had all of her things before scribbling a brief note and leaving it on the nightstand. She took a moment to watch him sleep him, her throat burning from the effort of holding back her tears, and she reached forward to caress his face, being careful not to wake him. This would be so much harder if she had to face him and she wasn't ready for that. She needed to get back to Starling and get her head on straight, maybe it would be easier to talk to him when they weren't here, when they weren't surrounded by these feelings. She wasn't leaving for another couple of weeks and she was going to have to face the music before then but she couldn't do it here, not when all she wanted to do was crawl back into that bed and never leave.

She wanted to avoid getting her heart broken, that was why she'd fought so hard against Oliver, but she realized as she walked out of that hotel room that it was too late for that. She was breaking her own heart and she couldn't stop.

Oliver had woken up surrounded by Felicity's smell and it was the most glorious way to wake up. That was until he rolled over and found the bed empty, a scribbled _I'm sorry_ left on the nightstand. He'd gone through the rest of the day in a haze, leaving multiple messages on her phone once he learned she'd taken an earlier flight home. The longer he went without talking to her, the more desperate he felt, knowing that every second she was away from him, she was slipping through his fingers. When he'd gotten back to Starling late that night, he'd driven over to her place, planning to confront her but the lights were off and no one answered the door, forcing him to go home. He'd nearly waited on her doorstep until she showed up but talked himself out of it at the last minute.

He became more panicked on Monday when he finally made it down to IT that afternoon and was told Felicity had never come in. He tried calling her a few more times to no avail before he had to go to a meeting and was cut off from his phone. When he was done with work, he went back to her place, getting no answer again.

Desperate times called for desperate measures and that was why he was now standing outside of Sara and Nyssa's apartment pounding on the door.

"Who the hell is knocking on my door like a madmen?" An irritated Sara snapped as she swung the door open. Once she realized it was Oliver, her face changed and he could tell that she'd been crying. She stepped aside, giving him room to come in. "She's not here."

"Then where is she?" He asked in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "She won't answer the phone, she's not at home, she didn't come in to work. I get that she's avoiding me but I have to talk to her. I have to see her, Sara."

"She's gone, Ollie. Lucius Fox called her last night, begging her to come to Gotham earlier. He even called Walter and made sure it wouldn't affect her standing with Queen Consolidated. She took a flight to Gotham this afternoon."

"But what about her stuff? What about..." He trailed off before he could say me.

"She'll be back in a couple of weeks to get it."

"How could she do this?" He asked softly, devastation sinking in. "How could she leave without saying goodbye?"

Sara's chin trembled. "I don't know, Ollie."

That was when the reality of the situation hit him.

He was too late.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN- One more day until 3x20 airs. I'm excited, are you excited? Of course you're excited, who wouldn't be? One more chapter after this one, enjoy!**

Chapter Nine

It had been a week since Felicity left and Oliver was more miserable than ever. All he'd done for the past week was go to work and come home, hiding away from the world and the fact that he'd lost the girl he loved. As he mindlessly channel surfed, he kept seeing her face, kept hearing her voice, kept remembering that night. Their night together had been everything to him and it was haunting him now, playing in his head over and over again. He kept thinking that maybe if he'd done something differently, she would be here with him and not in Gotham. He didn't know what else he could have done, he'd told her how he felt, and she'd slept with him and left without a goodbye. If he let them, all these maybes would slowly drive him mad but he wasn't sure he cared. He'd lost her and nothing else seemed to matter.

"Oliver!" John's voice echoed through the empty mansion. "Get off that damn couch and get dressed," he yelled as he strode into the room and moved in front of the TV.

"I was watching that," Oliver grumbled even though it was a lie.

"And I don't care. It's been a week and I've let you mope around in this place for long enough. You're going to get your ass off of that couch, you're going to go upstairs and put on some decent clothes and then you're going to come have dinner with me, my wife, and your goddaughter." John crossed his muscled arms against his chest and leveled Oliver with an intimidating stare that left no room for argument.

Oliver set the remote down on the coffee table and held his hands up in mock surrender as he got to his feet. "Alright, give me a few minutes. You know, you could have called instead of marching over here like a drill sergeant."

John snorted. "Don't pretend like you would've answered the phone. I know you would have ignored it just like my other ones. Now hurry up before Lyla comes storming over here and drags you out of the house."

An hour later, Oliver found himself seated at the dining room table, enjoying a steak dinner and a beer with two of his closest friends. "Just last week, Claire projectile vomited directly into Johnny's mouth while he was sleeping. Now she has to sleep in her crib," Lyla told Oliver through her laughter.

"She shouldn't have been sleeping with us in the first place," John grumbled.

Lyla rolled her eyes as she chewed a piece of steak. "Let's not forget whose idea it was to let her sleep in our bed."

On cue, the baby's soft cries drifted into the dining room from her nursery. John got his feet and gave Lyla a sheepish look. "I'll go get her."

Lyla watched him walk out, shaking her head, but her face was full of love. Oliver dropped his gaze back to his food, trying to dismiss his thoughts of Felicity that were constantly creeping up.

"How are you doing, Oliver?" Lyla asked.

He cleared his throat. "I'm fine." She gave him a disbelieving look that said she knew him better than that. "Really," he added.

"I know that you think if you keep saying that, it'll become true, and it will but it's okay to be hurt right now."

Oliver sighed and set his fork down. "I just keeping thinking that maybe if she'd said goodbye to me, this wouldn't hurt so much or maybe I could have convinced her to stay."

"And maybe that's why she couldn't say goodbye. Maybe she was worried that if she saw you, she wouldn't be able to go."

"Then why go? If just seeing me would be enough to keep her here, then why go in the first place?"

"Ask her yourself. She'll be back next weekend to get her stuff and the girls want to throw her a belated going away party," John told him as he came back into the room, bouncing a happy baby.

"I don't know if I want to see her," he admitted. For as much as he'd thought about her, he hadn't tried to call her since he'd found out she'd left. "I'm hurt but I'm also pissed. No matter her reasons why, I thought I ranked high enough for her to tell me face to face or even tell me over the goddamn phone. I thought I meant more to her than that." That was the most upsetting part of all of this. It felt like he'd seen everything the wrong way, took every word the wrong way, took everything between them the wrong way. If she cared about him even just a fraction of how much he cared about her, wouldn't she have said goodbye?

"Then tell her that. You can't bottle this all up, Oliver, you need to tell her," Lyla said.

"It didn't me any good before. I told her I loved her the night of the wedding and she still left. I laid all my cards on the table and it wasn't enough. What would be the point? It won't change anything, she'll just feed me another excuse of why we can't be together and go back to Gotham and her new life."

"Maybe she will but what else are you going to do? Are you just going to avoid her? Skip the party and just let her go back to Gotham without a fight?" John asked.

"It's obvious that's what she wants. She's gone through a lot of effort to run away from me, might as well let her."

John and Lyla shared a look, having a silent conversation in front of Oliver. Sometimes, they really

"Alright, that's enough talk about my love life. Let me hold that baby before I go home."

John handed Claire over to Oliver and there was no more talk of Felicity for the rest of the night.

* * *

"I can't believe you moved while we were on our honeymoon," Tommy said. His tone was light but Felicity knew he wasn't happy with her. Well, he could get in line with everybody else. The only person at this going away party that didn't seem to be a little upset with her was Nyssa and that was because she'd already had her turn.

"I'm sorry, I thought I would have more time after the wedding to tell people. I wasn't supposed to leave until the end of the month." So maybe she hadn't handled it in the best way but what else was she supposed to have done? Lucius Fox had called her up and asked her to come to Gotham early. He'd already spoken to Walter to make sure she would be on good terms with QC, it was all a play to get her there sooner but it had been appealing. A part of her knew that it would be nearly impossible to leave after seeing Oliver again so she'd taken the out when she'd seen it.

"You could have told us before the wedding, you know?" He said as he nudged her with his elbow. "It would have given us more time to talk you out of it."

Felicity rolled her eyes and looked at the floor glumly. "So I take it your on team Starling City?"

"If I'm on any team, it's team Felicity. We all want you to be happy, we're just upset that you didn't feel like you could tell us."

"I just wanted to avoid difficult conversations," she admitted.

Tommy smirked. "I know what that feels like but trust me when I say that it only leads to having even more difficult conversations."

That brought a small smile to her lips. "I'm learning that. So how was the honeymoon?" She asked, changing the subject.

He looked across the room to Laurel who was talking to Thea and he beamed. "It was amazing, I didn't want to come back to the real world."

Sara approached them and it was the first time she'd acknowledged Felicity in the last half an hour. "My sister wants you."

Tommy straightened out his jacket. "I knew that already," he said with a wink.

"Ew," Sara grumbled to Felicity, effectively lightening the mood a little.

"They're newlyweds, cut them some slack," Felicity teased.

"I don't care if they've been married for five minutes or twenty years, I do not want to hear that."

They both laughed softly and Sara pointed towards the bar. "Do you want to get a drink?"

Felicity nodded and they walked over, taking seats at the end of the bar. "Are we okay?" Felicity asked after they gave the part-time bartender their orders.

"Of course," Sara answered emphatically. "To be honest, if you'd asked me that question last week, it would have been no."

"What changed?"

"I know you, Felicity. You're the smartest, most logical person I know and if you think this is the right thing to do, I'll support you. You're like a sister to me and I selfishly don't want us to live in different cities because I want to be able to drop in on you whenever I want but I want you to be happy. If being in Gotham does that, I'm all for it."

Felicity leaned over and pulled Sara into a tight hug. "I love you, Sara."

"I love you, too, Felicity." She pulled away from her and tried to subtlely wipe a tear from her eye. "Are you okay over here? Nyssa's had a couple drinks tonight and looks like she actually wants to dance and that's not an opportunity I can pass up."

Felicity laughed, nodding her head. "Go dance with your girlfriend, I'm good over here."

Sara skipped off, joining Nyssa on the dance floor, leaving Felicity alone with her thoughts. Once she knew they couldn't see her, she let her smile slip, wallowing over her drink. She'd both dreaded and happily anticipated this weekend. She'd missed her friends but all being here was doing was making her second-guess herself. She'd known that coming back this weekend would make her feel this way but she needed her stuff and if she was honest, she needed to see Oliver.

She hadn't heard from him since the day she'd left. He'd called her phone nonstop after the night of the wedding but then it stopped. She didn't have the nerve to call, her guilt was too much, but she'd hoped she'd see him tonight and she could explain. Though what exactly she was going to explain, she didn't know. She was hoping it would come to her when she saw him, if she saw him.

"I don't think he's going to come," John told her as he joined her at the end of the bar.

She almost choked on her drink. This man was sneaky and wise and she was going to have to learn to pay better attention to him. "I wasn't watching for him."

He raised one eyebrow and she knew that he could see right through. "If you're not, then why do you keep looking at the door every thirty seconds?"

"How is he?" She asked, giving up any pretenses that she didn't care.

"He's hurt, he's pissed, and he misses you."

"I miss him, too," she whispered.

"Then what are you doing, Felicity?" He challenged.

"I'm keeping a promise to myself."

"Is that what this is really all about?"

She didn't say anything. All she'd done for the last two weeks was beat herself up to the point where she couldn't even enjoy her new job. But she couldn't come back. She'd made a decision and she was sticking to it, no matter what.

"Looks like I have to eat my words," John remarked as he gestured towards the front door that Oliver had just walked through.

Felicity immediately straightened up, trying to emotionally prepare herself as he noticed her across the room.  
"I better go. Try not to break his heart, Felicity," John said as he left her alone, nodding his head at Oliver in greeting.

Oliver looked strangely disheveled as he approached her, like he hadn't been shaving properly and had been wearing the same t-shirt for days. "Hey," he greeted softly as he joined her at the bar.

"Hey. I was hoping you would come." She could tell his attitude towards her was different. He planted his forearms on the bar and leaned forward, staring down at his clasped hands.

"That's surprising." It was the bitterness in that sentence that hurt but she couldn't argue that it wasn't justified.

"Oliver—"

"I told myself I was just going to come here and listen to what you had to say, I was going to stay calm and not make a big deal out of it but I can't stand here and talk to you like nothing happened." Frustration and angering was rolling off of him in waves, a storm building in his eyes as he stared down at her. "How could you do that, Felicity? How could you leave without saying goodbye?"

She wilted under his gaze, playing with the straw in her drink so she didn't have to look at him. "It wasn't planned that way, Oliver. I barely had time to pack a bag before I had to get on a plane."

"You had time to say goodbye to Sara," he pointed out.

She'd nearly missed her flight to say goodbye to Sara and she'd only had enough time to make her cry and leave. "She didn't even know about Gotham. I had to tell her before I left. You knew I was leaving."

"Only because Nyssa told me!" He yelled, drawing the attention of party-goers around them. He rubbed his temples and lowered his voice. "What about answering one of my hundreds of phone calls and telling me?"

"I didn't want to do it over the phone."

"So you decided it was best if you didn't say goodbye at all?"

"It was too hard! I couldn't do it! I couldn't stand there and end this!"

"So you're just a coward then?" He pushed himself off of the bar and threw his hands up. "This was a bad idea. I can't do this," he said before storming out of the club.

She didn't hesitate, pushing her way through the club to follow him outside. "Yes, I'm a coward, is that what you want to hear?" She yelled as soon as she was outside.

He stopped and whipped back towards her, marching back over to her. "No, that's not what I want to hear. What I want to hear is that the night we were together meant something to you. What I want to hear is that I meant something to you."

"You did! You still do, Oliver! That night was the best night of my life, I've never felt like that before."

"Then why did you leave? If I really meant that much to you and if that night meant that much to you, why did you leave?"

"Because I had to. Because I made a promise to myself when I was a kid that I would never be her, that I would follow my dreams. I promised myself that I would never turn down an amazing career opportunity because of a man."

"I don't believe you. I think you just throw excuses out there and hope they stick. First it was my reputation and then it was our awful dates then our jobs then Ronnie and now it's Gotham. It seems like you're trying awfully hard to keep us apart and if you put half of that effort towards us, you might be surprised to find how easy it is for us to be together. You either want this or you don't, Felicity, it's that simple."

"It's not that simple!"

He shook his head violently. "Yes it is but if you think it isn't, let me fix that for you." He pivoted hard and stormed off again.

"Oliver!"

"No, Felicity. Whatever this was, it's done. I can't take the maybes anymore, I can't do it. Enjoy your life in Gotham."

She watched him peel off on his motorcycle, tears flowing freely down her face as she hugged her arms around herself.

She knew she was doing the right thing so why did she feel like she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life?

* * *

Three weeks later, much to Oliver's protest, John and Tommy had dragged him out of the house and brought him to the local shooting range. It was something they'd done quite a bit over the last few years anytime one of them needed a break. It was a good stress reliever, something John had introduced them to after his brother's death, and Oliver had been surprised to discover that he was a decent shot. The biggest shocker was how good he was with a bow and arrow, finding an inner peace whenever he picked a bow up and sank an arrow into a target. He'd learned a lot of interesting things since he'd met John.

"So are you planning on actually leaving your house this weekend?" Tommy asked as they chose the guns they wanted to shoot with.

"I'm outside now, aren't I?" Oliver said.

"Only because we dragged you out. It's the only time you leave, Oliver, you've got to move on with your life," John said.

"Maybe I don't want to," he snapped. "I'm sorry, guys. I've been miserable company for the last month."

"Ever since you and Felicity got into that argument at Verdant?" Tommy asked.

Oliver nodded. "I was an asshole. I shouldn't have walked away from her like that, I should have tried harder. I just keep thinking that if I really love her, shouldn't I want her to follow her dreams? If I really love her, maybe I should let her go."

Tommy and John shared a look. "I told you we should have gotten drunk instead. I don't think the shooting range is going to be enough," Tommy said.

"No, this is a good idea. I need to take my mind off of things and drowning my sorrows in a bottle isn't the best way to do that."

"I've never heard you say that you love a girl," Tommy remarked as they made their way out to the range that was empty of other people.

"I don't love a girl, I love Felicity," he corrected. "I've never felt this way before and that's what makes this so hard. I think if I knew she was happy in Gotham that maybe this would be easier because at the end of the day all I want is for her to be happy. If Gotham and Wayne Enterprises makes her happy, maybe I would be okay with moving on."

"Have you talked to her since that night?" John asked.

Oliver shook his head. "I doubt that she wants to talk to me."

"From what I heard from Sara and Laurel, it doesn't sound like she's talking to anyone really. They're worried about her."

Oliver tried to ignore the tightening in his chest but he couldn't get past the image of Felicity sitting by herself in her apartment every night. Or worse, sitting with someone that wasn't him. Maybe he would call her after this and at least apologize for being an asshole.

"Enough talk about girls, let's shoot some guns," Tommy said, having grown impatient.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Oliver strode into the mansion feeling better than he had when he left. He was grateful that he was surrounded by good friends that were always there for him. They got each other through the hard times and that was what friends were for.

"Oliver, I was hoping I would see you," Walter greeted as he stepped into the large foyer.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about who you think should be co-director of Applied Sciences."

Oliver frowned. "I didn't realize you were looking for a co-director. Is there something wrong with the way I'm running Applied Sciences?" That would be the icing on the cake that was this past month.

"No, not at all. You're doing a fantastic job. I'm talking about when I step down in a few months. My original plan was to have Barry Allen and Felicity do it but since Miss Smoak is no longer with the company, I need to find a suitable replacement."

This was the first Oliver was hearing about this plan. He knew Walter planned to hand the reins over to him soon but he had no idea he'd planned to have Felicity take over Applied Sciences. "Did Felicity know about this?"

Walter gave him a strange look as he slowly nodded. "Yes, I discussed this with her when she came to my office to tell me she was leaving for Wayne Enterprises. I'd hoped it might have been enough incentive to keep her with QC. She didn't tell you?"

"No, she never mentioned it." For all her talk about following career opportunities, she'd never brought up Walter's offer. Either she assumed he knew or she was keeping it to herself because she knew that the real reason she left was that she was scared. He was betting it was the latter.

"Well as much as I would have liked for her to be a co-director, it seems that is no longer an option. I'll be out of the office tomorrow but I'll be back on Tuesday, we can talk more about it then."

Oliver nodded in agreement and Walter started to talk about something else but Oliver couldn't pay attention. He'd known that she was just making excuses but to know that she'd had an opportunity here that she'd turned down felt like a knife to the chest. To get away from him, she'd changed cities and left her friends behind, and that rejection stung.

"Whoa, what's with the serious face, Ollie?" Thea asked. He hadn't noticed Walter leave or Thea take his place. _That's_ how out of it he was.

"It's nothing. What are you doing here, Speedy? I thought you forgot where the mansion was."

"Ha ha," she remarked dryly. "I promised Mom that we'd do lunch today. I'm here to pick her up."

"Good. How are things with Malcolm?"

"Slow and steady. He flew in last weekend and took me to dinner. We're by no means peachy keen but it's nice to think that we might actually have a relationship one day."

"I'm not Malcolm's biggest fan but for your sake, I hope you guys do have one in the future."

Thea poked him in the side, making him flinch and her laugh. "Thanks, big brother. Now do you want to talk about Felicity?"

He got conversation whiplash from how fast she changed the subject and Oliver immediately felt uncomfortable. "Not really, Speedy, I've talked the subject to death."

"Well you haven't talked about it to me so spill."

"What's left to say? She's in Gotham now, what's done is done."

Thea shook her head and Oliver knew she wasn't going to let this go. "During the bachelor/bachelorette weekend, I was talking to Felicity about not going back to school in the fall—"

"Thea," he started to say, working up to a lecture.

She held a hand up to stop him. "I'm going back, don't get worked up. I was telling her that I was worried that Roy and I wouldn't last if I went back and she told me that if we really loved each other, it would work out. I think you're too focused on the fact that she's in Gotham that you're not seeing that this thing could still work if you give it a chance. If you can't convince her to come back, maybe you can do long distance or you could move to Gotham."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No, I'm just telling you that they're options. If you really want this, Ollie, you can find a way to make it work."

"Options are only good if she wants to be with me and I don't think that's the case."

"When did you get so dumb?" Thea asked exasperatedly.

"Excuse me?"

"Felicity obviously has feelings for you and to say anything else is a lie. Do whatever you want but be honest with your self and don't give up until you've exhausted every option you have. That's what the brother I know would do."

"I think Thea makes some very good points, Oliver," Moira said as she joined them.

Oliver was about to protest but his sister did have a point. She'd turned him down so many times at this point, what would adding one more to the list really do? Maybe he needed to give this one final try, one last time to convince her that they were perfect for each other, one more time to lay it all out for here. "Maybe you guys are right."

Thea rolled her eyes. "If I'd known that all it would take to get you to say that was to have Mom back me up, I would have done that weeks ago."

"I have to go," he said abruptly before taking off and running up the stairs two at a time. With every step, he solidified his plan. It was time to take one last chance.

* * *

Felicity rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of the papers laying in front of her. She should have gone home hours ago and she wasn't going to get anything more done tonight but she couldn't leave. The last thing she wanted to do was go home and sit in that empty apartment surrounded by unpacked boxes. She'd lived by herself in Starling City but it was different there. All she had to do was make a phone call and someone would be there in a heartbeat. Here, there was no one but she'd done it to herself. This was her decision.

"I didn't think anybody else would be here this late," Bruce Wayne himself said as he strolled into her office.

She leaned back in her chair and gave up on trying to read the status reports because she wasn't retaining a single word. "Well, I have nothing better to do with my time."

He sat in the chair across from her desk, his presence filling up the room. It was different than the way that Oliver made a room feel, though that could be because of her attraction to Oliver more than anything. Bruce owned a room the minute he stepped into it, his confidence and charisma oozing off of him, and Felicity found it intimidating. She'd spoken to him a few times over the past month but it was mostly in passing when he came down to R&amp;D to visit Lucius.

"There has to be something better you can do with your night than sit in this dark office by yourself. You're new to Gotham, shouldn't you be out there meeting people? Making friends?"

"Nope," she answered as she shuffled some papers, trying and failing at appearing busy. "I came to Gotham to work. I'm not looking to make any friends."

"Touchy," he remarked.

"Did you just come in here to grill me about why I don't have any friends?"

He chuckled. "No. Like I said, I thought I was the only one here. I saw a light and I had to check it out. Now my guess is that you're here because you don't want to go home to an empty apartment so you're here to use work to distract yourself from pining over whoever you left back home. It's that or you're a workaholic and I don't know which one's sadder."

"I'm not pining over anyone and you don't know the first thing about me." She hated that she was getting defensive but she was tired.

"You're right, I don't. I must be projecting my own problems on you," he said, mostly to himself. A part of her wanted to ask what he meant but she had her own problems, no need to go looking for someone else's. He scooted his chair back and stood up, leaving her office.

"Ah, Mr. Wayne? What are you doing here this late?"

He leaned against the doorway, giving her a sympathetic smile. "The same thing you're doing, Miss Smoak. Good night."

He left her alone in her dark office and she realized this wasn't much better than her lonely apartment. She set her elbows on the desk and let her head fall into her hands. Maybe it was finally time for her to admit that she had no idea what she was doing.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN- Here's the last chapter, Enjoy!**

Chapter Ten

He couldn't believe he was doing this. This was insane. But something had shifted inside of him after talking to Thea, lighting a fire in him, and he'd had to leave immediately. He needed to do something, anything, to get her back. Not that he really had her in the first place but he was determined to change that, starting today.

"Sir, you can't go in there," the secretary exclaimed as he breezed past.

He ignored her and pushed the door open that led to Bruce Wayne's office. He'd met Bruce once before and they hadn't left the best impression on each other, mostly because Oliver had made the mistake of flirting with a woman Bruce did not appreciate him flirting with. His surprise appearance in his office might not go well but he was left with little other choice. He didn't know where Felicity lived and when he'd shown up at Wayne Enterprises after his long flight, they'd told him she was in a meeting with Mr. Wayne and Mr. Fox and couldn't be disturbed. Snow eaking his way up here made him want to re-evaluate Queen Consolidated's security when he got home because Wayne Enterprises was surprisingly lacking in that area.

"Oliver?" Felicity's shocked voice rang out through the room and the papers she was holding in her hands slipped out of her grip, fluttering to the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, security's on it's way," his secretary huffed, looking at Oliver like she wanted to drag him out herself, but Oliver didn't care. All he could see was Felicity.

Bruce hesitated, looking between Oliver and Felicity, examining their facial expressions and body language. "Tell them it's fine, Theresa. I don't think Mr. Queen is here to harm anyone. Right, Mr. Queen?"

Oliver didn't bother dignifying that question with a response. "I don't think I made myself clear enough the last time," he told Felicity, holding himself back from invading her personal space. In the back of his head, he knew this was inappropriate, showing up at her work and confessing personal things in front of her bosses and he knew he would only make it worse if he was in touching distance of her.

"Make what clear enough?" She whispered.

"That I love you." He raised his hands and dropped them to his sides. It continued to amaze him how easy it was for him to admit that now. Before he'd told her the night of the wedding, he thought it would be one of the hardest things he'd say but once the words came out, he realized it was harder to stop himself from shouting it from the roof. "Before that night, I'd never told a woman I loved her because I'd never felt it but this," he gestured between them. "This is unlike anything I've ever felt. I realized it the night at the aquarium when you were so incredibly happy and I knew that I wanted to spend every minute I could making you that happy. And I made the mistake of letting you walk away from me. I let my emotions get the best of me at Verdant and it was because I couldn't picture a life without you, I don't want to live a life without you. You're the best thing to ever happen to me and I've never been as sure about something as I am about loving you. Come back to Starling City and be with me."

"Oliver, I made a decision," she murmured. "I can't go back, I want this job."

"I know that Walter offered to make you co-director of Applied Sciences. You have career opportunities back in Starling. This job has always been an excuse to run away and hide from your feelings. I know that you're scared but I'm scared too, Felicity. I'm scared that I'm going to spend the rest of my life loving a woman who doesn't love me back. I'm scared that you don't see how perfect we are for each other, I'm scared that we don't have a future, and most of all, I'm scared that I'm going to walk out of this room and get on a plane by myself. But no matter how scared I am, I know this is worth it, this is a chance I have to take."

She was silent for an achingly long time and for the first time since he got off the plane, he started to believe that she wasn't going to say yes. "Felicity, I know that if I really love you, I'll support you in anything. And I will. I'll move to Gotham or I'll step down as CEO so you can work there and we can still have a relationship or I'll stay in Starling and you stay in Gotham and we'll do the long-distance thing. Whatever you want to do to make this work, I'll do it. I'll do anything, Felicity, just be with me."

"I can't, Oliver."

Those words were like a knife to the gut but he wasn't leaving yet. "Just admit that you didn't come here for a job, admit that you ran away from your feelings for me, admit that you're not willing to take the risk, admit that's the real reason you came here."

Her face was blank of emotion. "I came here for the job, Oliver, that's it."

"Then admit that you don't have any feelings for me! Do me that favor!" She bit her lip and looked away from him, a tear slipping down her face as she didn't say anything.

"I can't," she said, her voice breaking. "I can't say that."

He blew out a breath of frustration and ran a hand through his short hair. "This is it, Felicity. This is my last shot. If you say no now, that's it. Do you understand that?"

She nodded and it broke his heart more than anything had. Why did she have to make this so hard? She couldn't say that she didn't have any feelings for him but she couldn't, wouldn't give them a chance. Maybe her feelings weren't enough. Maybe her's weren't the same life-changing ones that he felt and maybe it really was time to let her go. "Then tell me that this is what you want. Tell me that Gotham and this job and a life without me is what you want and I'll leave. If you can tell me that this makes you happy, then I'll walk out that door and I'll be done."

"It's what I want, Oliver." Her voice was level and she held his eyes as she said, his heart sinking as he realized that it was really over.

He rubbed his jaw while nodding his head as he took a step back. "I had to know," he said softly. He couldn't do it and he couldn't be here. He needed to get out of this office, this building, this city. He needed to go home and lick his wounds. He needed to go home and accept a life without Felicity. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Fox. Please don't hold this against Felicity, she had no part of it. I'm going to go, I'm sorry." He turned his back to Felicity, taking the couple steps to the door as he let the devastation show on his face.

"Oliver," she called out as his hand touched the doorknob. He wiped his face and turned back to look at her, almost wishing he hadn't. Her face was etched with guilt and her knuckles were white from the force she was exerting to wring them together. He could tell she didn't know what to say and he wished he could offer her comfort or clarity but it was her life, her feelings, she needed to do what was right and if that's what this was, he could accept it. Maybe.

"It's okay, Felicity. I told you I'd give you anything you want and if this is what you want I'll give it to you. It doesn't change how I feel because nothing will. I'm going to love you no matter what but I'm done trying to convince you to feel the same." And with that, he walked out of the office and out of her life.

* * *

It was the longest plane ride of his life and when they finally touched down on the Tarmac in Starling City, Oliver dragged himself off of the plane, a dark cloud hanging over him. He couldn't believe it was over. It was really over. He wanted to crawl into his bed and not leave for a week.

Tommy was waiting outside for him, leaning against his car. "You look like a man that could use a drink."

"Not tonight, Tommy, I just want to go home," he said wearily, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder.

"All the more reason to join your best friend for some drinks."

Oliver started to protest again when Tommy held his hand up, effectively silencing him. "Look, I know what happened. Felicity called Sara who called Laurel who wanted me to come make sure you were okay. So either you get in this damn car and come to Verdant with me or I'm going to knock you out and drag you there."

"Fine." He was too tired to argue and maybe if they had one drink, he'd let him go home.

"That's the spirit!" Tommy cheered as he slapped Oliver on the back.

They dodged the elephant in the room for a while, avoiding the topic completely on the ride over, and Tommy ensuring Oliver had at least one full drink before broaching the topic at Verdant. Oliver had to admit it was easier to relay the story to him with a little bit of alcohol. The whole thing felt like some weird dream and he was going to wake up never having left the mansion after talking to Thea and his mom. He'd been so convinced that would work. The entire plane ride over he kept imagining her finally saying yes and coming back to Starling with him. To be here without her was a stark dose of reality and he wasn't exactly coping well.

"What are you going to do now?" Tommy asked.

He sighed wearily, tilting his glass and making the amber liquid slosh around the bottom. "I'm going to move on with my life." The words rang hollow and he knew it wasn't true. Felicity wasn't the kind of girl you moved on from, at least not in a reasonable amount of time.

Tommy nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out, Oliver."

"Well, nobody can say I didn't try." He set his glass down and rested his elbows on the bar, using the palms of his hands to rub his tired eyes. "A part of me wishes I would have backed off right after our date because then maybe she would have stayed. Maybe she would have stayed and we could have been friends and she would still be in my life and not in Gotham with Bruce Wayne. I just don't know what I'm going to do without her."

"I think things will work out in the end, Oliver. I know that it doesn't feel like that now but life has a funny way of working out. Trust me on this one."

Oliver snorted and tossed his head back, swallowing the rest of his drink. "I think marriage is bringing out the optimist in you."

"Maybe you could use a little optimism," Tommy said as he signaled for two more drinks.

"No, man, I got to go. I have to work in the morning and I didn't sleep on the plane at all."

"One more drink and I'll let you go home. I didn't just bring you here to fail at cheering you up. I brought you here because I have some news and I wanted to tell my best friend before anybody else." Tommy paused, his face breaking out in a giant grin. "Laurel's pregnant."

Regardless of how he was feeling right now, this was incredible news. Oliver jumped out of his chair and pulled Tommy into a hug, slapping him on the back. "Congrats, that's great news!"

"Thanks, man, but you're going to have keep this is yourself for a bit. She's only five weeks along but I couldn't keep this to myself any longer."

Oliver picked his drink up off the bar and held it up. "A toast. Here's to hoping it's a girl."

Tommy laughed as they clinked glasses. "Cheers," he said before frowning. "What do you mean by that?"

"The world does not need another Tommy Merlyn running around," Oliver teased.

"Well you better get used to the idea because we're going to have a baseball team full of boys. This is just the beginning, my friend."

Oliver nodded in agreement. Tommy was right, this was just the beginning of him and Laurel but Oliver was having a hard time looking past the end of him and Felicity.

He knew he'd move on eventually, he just didn't want to.

* * *

It was an hour later when Oliver finally made it back to the mansion. Tommy had talked him into one more drink and Oliver ended up taking a cab home where he found the mansion empty. He made his way up the stairs at a snail's pace, his bad mood weighing his feet down. He was hoping that maybe a good night's sleep would dim the pain but deep down, he knew it wouldn't. Hell, he'd be lucky if he could get a good night's sleep. He knew once he laid down, he would be haunted by images of Felicity in that office. He finally reached the landing but paused at the beginning of the hallway. His bedroom light was on and the door was cracked open and he knew that he didn't leave it that way. Was somebody here?

* * *

After Oliver had left Bruce's office, Felicity excused herself to the bathroom, needing a minute to collect herself. She leaned against the counter as she tried to catch her breath, having been unable to take a deep breath since Oliver had strode into Bruce's office. What the hell had happened? Had Oliver really just flown all the way here to confess his love to her?

Sure, he'd said it before the night of the wedding but that was different. She could admit that she'd thought he'd only said it because they were caught up in the moment but now she knew he meant it. Oliver Queen loved her. He really loved her and she was too scared to admit that she loved him. He'd laid everything on the table, giving her one last chance to do the same, and she hadn't been able to do it. She kept denying and denying, pretending that she wasn't miserable, pretending that she didn't want Oliver when he was the only thing in this entire world that she did want.

She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, checking the mirror to make sure she didn't look like she was as distraught as she felt before she exited the bathroom and went back to the real world. She couldn't think about this, she had to go back out there and stay professional. She couldn't think about Oliver.

_This is the right decision. This is the right decision. This is the right decision._ She kept repeating this to herself like a mantra as she made her way back to Bruce's office.

"Everything okay, Miss Smoak?" Bruce asked when she rejoined them.

"Yes," she replied as she picked up her scattered papers. "No," she said abruptly as she stood up straight. "Yes?" She continued, less convinced this time. She looked down at the papers in her hands and around the office. She was working with one of the most successful business men out there and with the smartest man she'd ever met but it wasn't right. It was time to admit that to herself. "Oh my god, I'm an idiot. I'm such an idiot!"

Bruce was trying to cover a smile as she set her papers down on his desk. "I can't do this. I'm sorry, I know that it's a sucky thing to do but I have to go."

Lucius Fox got to his feet. "Miss Smoak—"

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Fox, I really wanted this job but Gotham isn't my home. Starling City is and it's time for me to stop running away from it. I have to go."

"You can find another genius, Lucius. There are plenty of them out there that would kill a person to work with you," Bruce said.

"Not any of Miss Smoak's caliber, Mr. Wayne. She's one of a kind and if I'm ever going to retire, we need someone like here."

"I guess you'll just have to put off your retirement." Bruce sounded happy about this and Felicity didn't blame him. She wouldn't want to lose a man like Lucius Fox if she ran a billion dollar company.

"I don't think you realize what you're giving up, Bruce," Lucius chastised.

"And I don't think you realize what she would be giving up if she stayed," he replied knowingly.

"This isn't about you and Rachel. You aren't the same people."

"But don't you see that it is?" Bruce replied softly. "The situation isn't that different. It kills me to admit this but Oliver Queen might have bigger balls than me. He fought for what he wanted, maybe it's time I do the same."

Felicity wasn't sure what was going but she wasn't going to complain since it seemed like Bruce was on her side.

Lucius sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If this is what you really need to do, Miss Smoak, then you have my support. It'll be a shame to lose you and if you ever change your mind, I want to be the first person you call."

"You will be, I promise," she told him emphatically. She understood why Thea was a hugger because right now she really wanted to hug the both of them but she restrained herself. "Thank you both for everything."

"Get out of here, Felicity, and go home," Bruce said with a grin. "And I'll let you take the Wayne jet if you do me a favor."

"Anything," she answered without hesitation.

"Tell Queen that I hit on you. A lot."

She frowned at him in confusion. "But you didn't."

"No, I didn't but I owe him one. Now get out of here, I'll call and set up your flight."

She didn't wait to be told twice, booking it out of the office, hearing Lucius tell Bruce, "I'll leave you alone to call Rachel. I hate to see Miss Smoak go but at least she made you see reason."

Things were looking up for everybody.

* * *

"Sara! I'm so glad you picked up. I need your help with something. I'm freaking out. I'm boarding a plane in the next ten minutes that's taking me back to Starling City," Felicity said as she impatiently waited at the small airstrip that housed the Wayne Enterprises jet.

Sara's shrill shriek cut her off. "You're coming back?"

"Yes but that's not the important part right now."

"I think it sounds pretty damn important. Felicity, this is great. We'll have to throw a welcome home party and-"

"Sara! Oliver flew to Gotham and told me that he loved me in front of Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox."

That effectively silenced Sara, though not for long. "Oliver did what?"

"He told me he loved me and I freaked. I told him we couldn't be anything and I let him walk away from me." For the last damn time if she had anything to do with it. "My plan so far is to take a plane back to Starling but I'm at a loss after that. Do I repay the favor and confront him at QC? Or do I go to the Queen mansion? Or do I call him and set up a meet? Do I surprise him? Do I warn him? What do I do, Sara? I have to do something, I can't lose him."

"Okay, I have an idea, just get yourself to Starling City and to the Queen mansion. I'll take care of getting Oliver there."

"That doesn't really sound like a plan."

"Because you don't need a plan, Felicity, you just need to be honest and tell him how you feel. Can you do that?"

Felicity thought about it. She'd never really been able to tell Oliver how she felt, trying not to get in too deep, but it was too late for that. She was in over her head and she didn't care. All she cared about was getting Oliver back and it was long past time she was honest with him and herself. "I can do that."

"Alright, then get your ass on a damn plane and come home."

* * *

Felicity paced the room, wringing her hands nervously. When she'd shown up at the Queen mansion, Moira had been the one to let her in and she'd done it excitedly, making Felicity think that Sara had placed more than a few phone calls during Felicity's ride over. She'd shown Felicity to Oliver's room and left her alone, making herself scarce. She'd only been here for about twenty minutes when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She froze in place, her nervousness skyrocketing as the steps approached the door. The door creaked open and Felicity came face-to-face with Oliver, who looked thoroughly shocked by finding her standing in his bedroom. "Felicity? What are—"

"Stop," she said, holding her hands up. "Don't talk. There's some stuff I have to say and I have to say it now so I need you to stand there and listen, okay?" She waited until Oliver gave her a tight nod, his hand still on the doorknob. "You were right in Gotham or you've been right this whole time, however you want to look at it, you were right that I was scared. I've been scared my whole life but never as scared as I've been since I met you. I knew the night that I met you that I needed to stay away from you because I could feel how dangerous this could be. How easy it would be to let myself get swept up in these feelings and I couldn't let that happen. I watched my mom fall apart after my dad left us and then I watched it happen over and over again with every new guy she declared the one and I promised myself I would never be like her. So I spent my life following my head and not my heart because I didn't think anything good could come of following my heart."

She paused and smiled softly at Oliver. "What I didn't know was that nothing good could come from ignoring my heart. There I was in Gotham, working with a man I completely idolized, living the life I thought I wanted and the whole time I was miserable because you weren't there. Ever since I met you, I've been trying not to fall for you but love doesn't listen to your head. It listens to your heart and all my heart wants is you. There was no stopping myself from falling in love with you because it was an inevitability, not a maybe. While I was standing there telling myself we could never be, my heart was already yours, I just couldn't see it."

She took a deep breath, trying to quell the emotion rising up in her. "Today when we were standing in Bruce's office, you said that you'd give up anything to be with me, including being CEO, and it hit me that you really did love me because I remember how much your face lit up when you were talking about the company. I knew that if you could give up something that was that important to you, I could too. Because I love you. I've known since that day in Bora Bora, I knew when we were standing up there with Laurel and Tommy, I knew that what I felt for you was love. And it scared me, so I ran away. But no more running." She took a step towards him, trying to gauge what he was feeling through his close guarded face. "No more hiding." Another step. "I'm still scared but I'm not scared about being with you. I'm scared I'm going to lose you because I was an idiot. Because I've let you walk away. Life is full of maybes but I'm certain about one thing. I love you, Oliver Queen. I love you so much my soul aches for you and I don't want to go another minute without you in my life." She stood close enough to touch him but she didn't reach out, waiting for him to say something, anything.

He bowed his head, giving it a little shake, and she thought this was it. This was the moment he told her it was too late. Tears welled up in her eyes but she stayed quiet. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that?" He murmured. He lifted his head and locked eyes with her as she struggled to comprehend his words.

"Does that mean—" She started to ask before Oliver's arms shot out and pulled her close to him as his lips smashed into hers. She gasped before losing herself in him, their lips moving desperately against each other.

He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, softly caressing her cheek. "I love you, Felicity. I want to be with you more than I've wanted anything in my life." He wiped away the tears that stained her face and looked down at her, the love in his eyes slamming into her.

"Good because it looks like you might be stuck with me for awhile. I mean I have no job and no apartment so..." She trailed off jokingly.

Oliver grinned. "The job won't be a problem and I have a giant bed that I would love to share."

"Are you sure? Because I will warn you that I'm a blanket hog so—"

He cut her off again with a steamy kiss. She wouldn't mind be interrupted constantly if it was like that. "You can have anything you want, Felicity. Including the blankets."

"I just want you," she said softly.

He placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose. "So no more maybes?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned up at him, happy that this man was hers, no matter what. "No more maybes," she agreed as she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

All that was left between them was certainty, no doubt that they loved each other with everything they had.

No more maybes.

* * *

AN- Alright guys, there it is. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following, you're seriously the best. Please let me know what you thought, favorite scenes, and scenes you didn't like. I love hearing all of it.


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